Understanding how vagus nerve stimulation helps stroke recovery to guide better treatments
Official title: Deciphering the mechanisms of action of vagus nerve stimulation in post-stroke rehabilitation using computational modeling
Funded at University of Connecticut Storrs · NIH-11454679 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This NIH grant uses computer models to figure out how brief, task-timed vagus nerve stimulation affects the brain after stroke and helps movement recovery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R03 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Connecticut Storrs NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Storrs-Mansfield, United States) |
| Project start | August 24, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $81,250 |
| NIH project number | 1R03NS142511-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11454679 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals who have experienced a stroke and are undergoing motor rehabilitation may benefit from optimized VNS approaches studied in this project.
✕Less likely to help
If VNS timing does not affect cortical dynamics for a given patient, they may not benefit from these specific modeling-guided approaches.
What this research studies
If you’ve had a stroke, this project uses computer simulations to explore how brief bursts of vagus nerve stimulation paired with movement could change brain activity to improve motor recovery. The researchers want to connect real clinical data with in silico models to pinpoint how VNS influences brain cells and circuits at a tiny, fast timescale. They are studying a specific mechanism — dynamic cholinergic signaling that may dampen certain brain rhythms — to explain why VNS helps rehabilitation. The work aims to generate tools that optimize VNS timing for motor recovery after stroke. This is a self-contained computational effort that could inform future clinical strategies and experiments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could lead to better, more precise VNS therapies that improve motor recovery after stroke.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows VNS can aid motor rehabilitation, but the precise micro-scale mechanisms remain under investigation, making this approach exploratory but grounded in clinical observations.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Connecticut Storrs
Storrs-Mansfield, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rich, Scott — University of Connecticut Storrs
- Study coordinator: Rich, Scott
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Calcium imaging guides deep brain stimulation to boost chronic stroke recovery in a rat model
A research team is testing how customizing deep brain stimulation parameters in rats with stroke can improve long-term motor recovery, with the goal of guiding future patient treatments.
-
Targeting synapse turnover to boost stroke recovery
Aims to find ways to shape brain rewiring after stroke by guiding how synapses grow, with the goal of helping adults recover upper-limb function.
-
Wearable EMG-FES System to Help Stroke Recovery and Find Biological Markers
A wearable sleeve that uses your own muscle signals to help arm movement after stroke, while researchers look for biological clues that track recovery.
-
Noradrenergic VNS to boost stroke rehab outcomes
A patient-oriented look at a therapy that combines brief vagus nerve stimulation with physical rehab to help people recover arm movement after a stroke.
-
How rehab changes the brain after stroke
This project will look at how rehabilitation training changes brain activity and connections after stroke to help people regain movement.
-
Prism adaptation for right-brain stroke rehabilitation
A personalized approach using prism adaptation to help people with spatial neglect after a right-hemisphere stroke improve everyday functioning.
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.