Improving a Mobile Brain-Computer Interface for Veterans with Paralysis
Official title: Enhancement and optimization of a mobile iBCI for Veterans with paralysis
Funded at Providence VA Medical Center · NIH-11193231 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work is making a portable brain-computer interface better and easier to use for Veterans who have paralysis from conditions like spinal cord injury, stroke, or ALS.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Providence VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| NIH project number | 5I01RX003803-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11193231 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for future involvement would be Veterans living with paralysis due to spinal cord injury, stroke, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have paralysis or severe motor disability would not directly benefit from this specific assistive technology.
What this research studies
We are working to improve a special device called an intracortical brain-computer interface (iBCI) that helps people with paralysis control assistive technologies using their thoughts. This device uses tiny sensors placed in the brain to pick up signals from imagined movements, which can then command computers, virtual keyboards, or robotic arms. Our goal is to make this iBCI mobile, high-performing, reliable, and intuitive so that individuals can use it independently at home. We are taking new discoveries from earlier work and adapting them to create a stable and effective mobile iBCI system.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this technology could offer greater independence and improved communication for Veterans living with severe motor disabilities.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown that iBCIs allow people with tetraplegia to control computers and assistive devices with their thoughts, and this project builds on those successes.
Where this research is happening
-
Providence VA Medical Center
Providence, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Simeral, John David — Providence VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Simeral, John David
Related research
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CoPE II: Personalizing patient-reported outcomes for vocal fold paralysis care
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Mobile brain-computer interface to help veterans with paralysis control devices
Aimed at improving a mobile brain-computer interface to help veterans with paralysis better control assistive devices at home.
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Preventing awareness during paralysis in emergency ventilated patients and reducing PTSD
This project will change emergency department medication defaults to cut back on a paralytic drug and see if that lowers the chance that adults put on ventilators wake up while paralyzed and later develop PTSD.
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Muscle stem cells to repair paralyzed vocal cords
This project uses muscle-derived stem cells to rebuild and strengthen paralyzed vocal cords in adults with vocal fold paralysis.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.