Multisensory support to improve standing balance after stroke
Official title: Multisensory augmentation to improve the standing balance of people with chronic stroke
Funded at Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center · NIH-11310730 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses extra sensory feedback to help people with long-term stroke improve their standing balance.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charleston, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01RX004545-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11310730 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with chronic (long-term) stroke who have difficulty controlling their standing balance and are able to participate in rehabilitation sessions.
✕Less likely to help
People without balance problems after stroke, those in the acute hospital phase, or those unable to stand safely for training are unlikely to benefit from this program.
What this research studies
You would wear small sensors and devices that give gentle cues (like vibration) about how your body is swaying while you practice standing tasks. Therapists will use more than one kind of feedback and tailor it to your specific sensory losses, since people with stroke respond differently. Sessions will involve guided balance training with real-time feedback, and researchers will measure changes in sway, mobility, and fall risk over time. The team will compare responses across people to refine which combinations of cues work best.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce falls and improve standing mobility and confidence for people living with chronic stroke.
How similar studies have gone: Vibration-based feedback has helped people with vestibular loss, but using tailored multisensory augmentation for chronic stroke is relatively new and not yet widely proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
Charleston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dean, Jesse C. — Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Dean, Jesse C.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding balance control while walking in people with chronic stroke
This study looks at how people who have had a stroke keep their balance while walking in tricky situations, and it aims to find ways to help them improve their walking and balance during recovery.
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Improving balance for people with chronic stroke using multisensory feedback
This study is testing a new way to help people who have had a stroke improve their balance by using special feedback that helps them better understand their body movements, making it easier for them to stay steady on their feet.
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Movement-Enhanced Walking Training to Improve Balance After Stroke
A specialized treadmill training using a cable-driven device, called Movement Amplification Environment (MAE), helps people with chronic stroke improve walking balance by enhancing their own movement awareness.
-
Teleassessment of gait and balance after stroke to expand remote rehabilitation
A multi-site study tests simple remote gait and balance tests for stroke survivors to enable safer, easier rehabilitation from home.
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Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation to Improve Movement After Stroke
A new non-invasive technique called kilohertz Transcranial Magnetic Perturbation (kTMP) is being tested to improve arm movement in people who have chronic stroke.
-
Instrumented brain organoids for chronic stroke repair
A study exploring how tiny, living brain tissue 3D «organoids» attached to flexible, safer electrodes could help restore brain function after a stroke.
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.