# Harnessing the Cholinergic Inflammatory Reflex to Alter Neuroinflammation and Neuropsychiatric Consequences Following Traumatic Brain Injury

> **NIH VA IK2** · WHITE RIVER JUNCTION VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · —

## Abstract

Worldwide, traumatic brain injury (TBI) contributes to more death and disability than other trauma-related
injuries. Recent statistics indicate that 69 million people are affected by this “silent epidemic,” with 4.6 million
affected persons residing in the United States and Canada. Military personnel are especially vulnerable to TBI,
considered a signature injury of recent wars. These closed-head, shockwave-induced blast TBIs (bTBI), caused
by proximity to explosive devices, lead to neuropsychiatric impairment that significantly affects the quality of
life after injury. Neuroinflammation is linked to neuropsychiatric illness in the general population and thus,
may mediate these impairments. There is a critical need for effective anti-inflammatory treatments for blast
TBI, an area of active investigation. Extensive research shows that select neuromodulatory and
pharmacotherapy tools can be used to activate the cholinergic inflammatory reflex to modulate
neuroinflammation, but it is unknown whether either approach can be used after bTBI. The current application
will address these gaps in knowledge by determining the utility of vagus nerve stimulation, a neuromodulation
tool, and anatabine, a full-cholinergic agonist, using a rodent model of bTBI. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS),
an FDA-approved neuromodulation treatment for select neuropsychiatric disorders, is currently being explored
for various inflammatory conditions and neurorehabilitation. Anatabine is similarly being examined for
neurorehabilitation, but neither treatment has been used for blast-related, closed-head injuries. The current
study aims to address this knowledge gap by completing the following short-term goals in a pre-clinical
(mouse) model of bTBI: 1) understand whether the cholinergic pathway can be targeted to alter the
inflammatory response to bTBI, and 2) understand whether targeting this pathway can reduce
neuropsychiatric deficits that substantially affect the quality of life after injury. These goals will be achieved by
completing three specific aims: 1) Characterize the neuroinflammatory response to bTBI as it relates to the
neuropsychiatric consequences of injury, 2) Determine the effectiveness of VNS to alter the immune response
to improve neuropsychiatric consequences of bTBI, and 3) Determine the effectiveness of a cholinergic agonist
to alter the immune response to improve neuropsychiatric consequences of bTBI. Our preliminary data and
recent VISN1CDA support our hypotheses and the feasibility of carrying out the proposed research. The current
project is designed to extend our proof-of-principle work to clearly define the utility of these novel treatments.
If successful, this promising neuromodulation treatment could advance the standard of care for military
personnel and improve the quality of life for Veterans and their families. The current Career Development
Award-2 will be performed at the White River Junction VA Medical Center and incorporates existing
infrastr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10693244
- **Project number:** 5IK2RX003551-02
- **Recipient organization:** WHITE RIVER JUNCTION VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Crystal M Noller
- **Activity code:** IK2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-10-01 → 2027-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10693244

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10693244, Harnessing the Cholinergic Inflammatory Reflex to Alter Neuroinflammation and Neuropsychiatric Consequences Following Traumatic Brain Injury (5IK2RX003551-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10693244. Licensed CC0.

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