Improving reaching and arm movement after stroke with brain stimulation and practice
Official title: Brain areas that control reaching movements after stroke: Task-relevant connectivity and movement-synchronized brain stimulation
Funded at Veterans Health Administration · NIH-11415405 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will use targeted, movement-timed brain stimulation together with reaching practice to help people who have had a stroke regain arm movement.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Health Administration NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | November 1, 2021 |
| Project end | October 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01RX003511-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11415405 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who have had a stroke that impairs arm or hand reaching and who can participate in repeated reaching practice sessions are the best candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with very severe paralysis who cannot attempt reaching, those with contraindications to magnetic stimulation (for example certain implanted devices), or with severe cognitive impairment may not benefit or be eligible.
What this research studies
If you've had a stroke that affects your arm, this project would pair guided reaching practice with mild, noninvasive brain stimulation timed to your movements. Researchers will stimulate specific premotor brain areas (using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) while you perform reaching tasks and compare people with and without strokes affecting the internal capsule. They will track how brain connectivity changes and whether reaching improves across sessions. The work aims to identify which brain targets and timing best support recovery so future rehab can be more effective.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could improve reach and arm function and help with everyday tasks after stroke.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown that combining cortical stimulation with motor practice can change brain representations and sometimes produce modest motor gains, but optimal targets and timing remain experimental.
Where this research is happening
-
Veterans Health Administration
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wittenberg, George F. — Veterans Health Administration
- Study coordinator: Wittenberg, George F.
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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.