Sleep patterns predicting recovery after acute brain injury
Official title: SPRINT- Sleep to Predict Recovery In uNconscious patients with acute brain injury
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11458485 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will look at brain sleep signals to see if certain sleep patterns can forecast when patients who are unconscious after a brain injury may start to wake up and recover.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 5, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $661,867 |
| NIH project number | 1R01NS145481-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11458485 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with acute brain injury who are unconscious two days after injury and may become eligible for EEG-based sleep analysis and prognosis.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose condition evolves differently or who cannot have EEG data collected may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
In people with acute brain injuries like severe trauma or brain bleeds who are unconscious, we often don’t know how quickly or whether they will recover consciousness. The study uses EEG sleep signals, focusing on well-formed sleep spindles, to predict early recovery of consciousness and long-term neurological outcomes. By applying machine learning to detect these sleep features, researchers aim to develop scalable prognostic markers that relate sleep to recovery trajectories. The work builds on prior findings that sleep disruptions are common after brain injury and that sleep spindles may reflect brain network integrity. Enrolled patients will be monitored to see how spindle presence relates to later recovery milestones.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could give families and clinicians a clearer timeline for recovery and guide treatment and care planning.
How similar studies have gone: Prior evidence suggests sleep spindles relate to recovery, but this work seeks to validate their predictive value in a scalable, clinical setting.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Claassen, Jan — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Claassen, Jan
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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.