Understanding How Stroke Affects Walking and Balance
Official title: Tracking the Development and Influence of Post-Stroke Sensory Reweighting on Walking and Balance Outcomes
Funded at University of Cincinnati · NIH-11160644 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to understand how the brain adjusts sensory information after a stroke to help people regain their ability to walk and keep their balance.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Cincinnati NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $202,500 |
| NIH project number | 5R21HD115776-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11160644 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be individuals who have recently experienced a stroke, likely within the first six months, and are experiencing difficulties with walking and balance.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not in the early stages of stroke recovery or who do not have walking and balance impairments may not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
After a stroke, many people have trouble walking and keeping their balance, which can lead to falls and make it harder to live independently. This project will follow individuals in the first six months after their stroke to see how their brain changes the way it uses sensory information, like touch and vision, to help them move. We will also look at brain scans to see which parts of the brain are involved in this recovery. The goal is to connect these brain changes to improvements in walking and balance, hoping to find better ways to help people recover.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new, personalized rehabilitation programs that specifically target the brain changes needed for better walking and balance after a stroke.
How similar studies have gone: There is currently limited knowledge about the specific drivers of balance and walking recovery in the early post-stroke period, making this a novel and urgently needed area of investigation.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Awosika, Oluwole Oladimeji — University of Cincinnati
- Study coordinator: Awosika, Oluwole Oladimeji
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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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.
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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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Multisensory support to improve standing balance after stroke
This project uses extra sensory feedback to help people with long-term stroke improve their standing balance.
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How the brain helps people keep standing balance as we age or after a stroke
This project measures brain activity while young adults, older adults, and people who have had a stroke do balance tasks to learn how the brain helps keep you steady.
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STABLE: a balance-first gait program for people after stroke
A specialized treadmill training using a cable-driven robot to improve balance and walking for people after a stroke.
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Understanding how the brain controls balance in older adults and stroke survivors
This study is looking at how the brain helps us keep our balance, especially in older adults and those who have had a stroke, to find better ways to help people who struggle with balance.
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.