Understanding how the brain's pathways can heal and adapt after spinal cord injuries
Official title: Mechanisms that support Raphespinal tract plasticity and regeneration after spinal cord injury
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11165349 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how a special pathway in the spinal cord can help people recover after a spinal cord injury, using new techniques to see how we can boost this pathway through rehabilitation, with the hope of helping patients regain movement and improve their recovery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2025 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $234,949 |
| NIH project number | 1R21NS139481-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11165349 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are adults aged 21 and older who have experienced a spinal cord injury.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with spinal cord injuries that are too severe or have occurred too long ago may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates the mechanisms that allow the raphespinal tract, a key pathway in the spinal cord, to adapt and support recovery after spinal cord injuries. By using advanced techniques such as spatial transcriptomics and chemogenetics, the study aims to explore how these pathways can be enhanced through rehabilitation. The goal is to understand how the brain can regain control over motor functions that are lost due to injury, potentially leading to improved rehabilitation strategies for patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to new rehabilitation methods that significantly improve recovery of motor functions in patients with spinal cord injuries.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promising results in enhancing recovery through targeted rehabilitation strategies, indicating potential for success in this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cafferty, William B. — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Cafferty, William B.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Corticospinal neurons and recovery of precise forelimb movement after spinal cord injury
This project studies how spine injuries change brain circuits and whether targeted rehabilitation helps restore precise forelimb movement.
-
How baclofen and spinal cord stimulation interact in people with spinal cord injury
This study looks at how a common antispasmodic medicine (baclofen) works together with spinal cord stimulation in people who have spinal cord injuries and live with spasticity.
-
Targeting spinal cord inflammation with a new HuR inhibitor to help SCI patients
A new treatment approach uses a small molecule to block a brain-spinal inflammation regulator (HuR) that drives harmful inflammation after spinal cord injury, aiming to lessen damage and pain for people with SCI.
-
From Neural Control of Movement to Treatments for Spinal Cord Injury
A patient-focused project aims to translate how brain signals control movement after spinal cord injury into new treatments that improve muscle function and reduce spasticity.
-
Polaris: a compact system to help motor recovery after spinal cord injury and stroke
A new, easy-to-use device called Polaris may help people with spinal cord injury, stroke, or other chronic conditions regain movement by guiding a specialized reflex-based therapy.
-
Predicting and Preventing Chronic Aspiration After Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury
This project looks at swallowing problems and chronic aspiration in adults with traumatic neck spine injuries to find patterns that could prevent serious lung complications.
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.