New Technologies for Brain and Spinal Cord Recovery
Official title: Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies
Funded at Albany Research Institute, INC. · NIH-11349175 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This center is developing advanced technologies to help people recover from spinal cord injury, stroke, and other nerve disorders by guiding the brain and nervous system to heal.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Albany Research Institute, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Albany, United States) |
| Project start | September 10, 2014 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $358,986 |
| NIH project number | 3P41EB018783-10S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11349175 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals with spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, or other neuromuscular disorders who are seeking new ways to enhance their recovery might be interested in this research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose conditions are not related to central nervous system plasticity or neuromuscular recovery may not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
Our team of engineers and scientists at the National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies (NCAN) is creating innovative tools to help the brain and spinal cord recover after injuries like stroke or spinal cord damage. We are working on systems that can encourage your nervous system to adapt and heal itself, aiming to improve movement and function. This involves developing both tiny implanted devices for long-term studies and robust systems suitable for use in clinics with conditions like cerebral palsy. Our goal is to make these new therapies widely available to help patients regain abilities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these new technologies could significantly improve recovery and function for individuals living with spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, and other neuromuscular disorders.
How similar studies have gone: This research builds on promising early work in guiding nervous system healing and aims to develop novel, more robust clinical systems for wider use.
Where this research is happening
-
Albany Research Institute, INC.
Albany, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wolpaw, Jonathan Rickel — Albany Research Institute, INC.
- Study coordinator: Wolpaw, Jonathan Rickel
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Training and dissemination to spread neurotechnology in clinical practice
A grant to expand training and sharing of adaptive neurotechnologies so scientists, engineers, and clinicians can use them more effectively in patient care.
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Combined-Therapy Protocols for Anxiety and Fear-Related Disorders
Aims to develop fast-acting brain-based therapies to help people with anxiety and related disorders by using targeted brain stimulation and behavioral approaches.
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Combined-therapy approaches to boost brain and nervous system recovery in animals
This grant funds studies in animals to test how mixing different therapies can work together to improve recovery after spinal cord injury or brain injuries.
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Combined-Therapy Protocols for Sensorimotor Disorders
A flexible software and hardware platform will help therapists combine rehabilitation methods to improve movement and recovery for people with sensorimotor problems.
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Adaptive neurotechnologies administration and translation support
A grant that supports managing and accelerating the development, translation, and dissemination of adaptive neurotechnologies for research and clinical use.
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Adaptive neurotechnologies to restore brain function after CNS injuries
A project to develop and share technologies that use the brain’s own plasticity to help people recover from spinal cord injury, stroke, and other brain-related disorders.
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.