# Elucidating Brainstem Contributions to Visceral and Somatic Motor Dysfunction after mTBI

> **NIH NIH R21** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2020 · $228,750

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Rehabilitation and medical management for those with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is often guided by
classifying people into subtypes based on self-reported symptoms and clinical signs. However, common motor
signs and symptoms are not easily parsed into subtype classifications, and the underlying pathophysiology of
motor symptoms remains unclear. Our long-term goal is to improve clinical care of mTBI by directing patients to
treatment that targets the key underlying dysfunction based on objective and quantifiable markers. Common
symptoms, such as headache and dizziness, and clinical signs, such as cardiovascular instability and postural
imbalance, relate to key visceral motor (autonomic) and somatic motor (balance and gait) function that may
share a common neuroanatomical origin within the brainstem. Yet, the brainstem has received little attention in
people with mTBI, and no research has examined whether visceral (autonomic) and somatic (balance and gait)
motor dysfunction share a common neuroanatomical origin. This exploratory project will examine structural and
functional manifestations of brainstem injury in people with mTBI through novel neuroimaging and objective
assessments of somatic motor and visceral motor function. Our central hypothesis is that mTBI creates distinct
abnormalities in motor (visceral and somatic) function that have a common neuroanatomical origin within the
brainstem. Our first Specific Aim will determine differences between people with mTBI and healthy controls
in brainstem integrity, as assessed structurally by neuroimaging and functionally by quantitative
assessment of somatic and visceral motor function. Brainstem integrity will be determined from fractional
anisotropy (FA) of white matter tracts imaged using high density fiber tractography. Somatic and visceral motor
function will be assess using objective, instrumented mobility tests and cardiovascular autonomic measures of
baroreceptor function, respectively. Specific Aim II will explore the relationship between acute brainstem
integrity and the longitudinal recovery of objective motor function and self-reported symptoms.
Brainstem FA values will be compared to objective measures of visceral motor and somatic motor function and
to self-reported symptoms. We will also compare the extent to which structural integrity of the brainstem,
quantified using FA, can predict recovery of objective motor function and self-reported symptoms over 3 months.
This innovative study will be the first of its kind to collect objective measures of somatic and visceral motor
function in conjunction with novel neuroimaging in people with mTBI. This study will establish the foundation for
a future proposal seeking to characterize the response of structural integrity of the brainstem, motor function,
and self-reported symptoms to targeted rehabilitation treatments after mTBI. Ultimately, this significant study
may shift the paradigm of mTBI management by rev...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10057643
- **Project number:** 1R21HD100897-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter C Fino
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $228,750
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10057643

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10057643, Elucidating Brainstem Contributions to Visceral and Somatic Motor Dysfunction after mTBI (1R21HD100897-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10057643. Licensed CC0.

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