# New Applications of Neuroplasticity Biomarkers in Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury or Schizophrenia

> **NIH VA I21** · VA GREATER LOS ANGELES HEALTHCARE SYSTEM · 2024 · —

## Abstract

Veterans with cognitive deficits represent a substantial service and financial burden at the Veterans
Administration (VA). Importantly, even with treatment, these Veterans have severe problems with community
integration, defined as the ability to return to full participation in major life roles (e.g., competitive employment,
school) and supportive social/family networks. Two of the most prominent patient groups within the VA who
have cognitive deficits and poor community integration are those with schizophrenia (SCZ) and traumatic brain
injury (TBI). There is strong evidence that both disorders are associated with impaired neuroplasticity, which is
a key cellular mechanism of cognition. Importantly, several specialized psychosocial and neurostimulation
(e.g., tDCS) treatments that target neuroplasticity and cognition have recently emerged. New neuroplasticity-
focused interventions that improve the cognitive deficits that lead to poor community integration in SCZ and
TBI would highly valuable for the VA healthcare system. However, to evaluate the efficacy of this novel
intervention approach, we need objective biomarker measures that validly assess neuroplasticity and are
appropriate for use in clinical trials in these populations. These tools currently do not exist. This proposal is
designed to address this key treatment development prerequisite. This proposal will adopt a translational
approach and use neuroscience-based methods to objectively assess non-invasive neuroplasticity measures
in Veterans with cognitive disorders (schizophrenia and TBI) and examine relationships to behavioral
measures of cognition and community integration.
Given the highly novel application of these electroencephalography (EEG) measures of neuroplasticity to the
study of SCZ and TBI, we selected the SPiRE small pilot project mechanism. The research aims for this project
are to measure short-term (STP) and long-term potentiation (LTP) using non-invasive EEG to: 1) evaluate the
feasibility of recruiting Veterans with cognitive deficits (TBI and SCZ), examine tolerability of the EEG-based
neuroplasticity measures, and optimize the paradigms, and 2) evaluate the statistical properties of the
neuroplasticity measures, a necessary step to determine whether they will be acceptable to serve as
biomarkers. In an exploratory aim, we will evaluate the relationships between the neuroplasticity measures and
cognition and community integration. We will utilize paradigms translated from neuroscience studies to
objectively assess neurophysiological measures of neuroplasticity. In the proposed 2-year study we will recruit
a total of 75 Veterans, (25 with schizophrenia, 25 with TBI, and 25 healthy Veterans without cognitive deficits)
from the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare system.
By identifying the role of neuroplasticity as a key determinant of cognition and community integration in
Veterans with cognitive disorders (i.e., schizophrenia or TBI), we will address substantial knowle...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10770352
- **Project number:** 5I21RX003171-04
- **Recipient organization:** VA GREATER LOS ANGELES HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** Jonathan Wynn
- **Activity code:** I21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-11-01 → 2023-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10770352

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10770352, New Applications of Neuroplasticity Biomarkers in Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury or Schizophrenia (5I21RX003171-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10770352. Licensed CC0.

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