# Treating Balance Impairment of the Elderly with TMS-induced Brain Connectivity

> **NIH NIH R41** · WEINBERG MEDICAL PHYSICS, LLC · 2024 · $100,000

## Abstract

Summary
Falls and fall-related injuries are a growing public health concern, particularly in regions of the
world in which high proportions of the population are elderly. When older adults are affected with
neurological conditions such as stroke, neuropathies, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis,
Alzheimer's disease, the risk for falling increases substantially. Falls and the resulting fear of falls
can mark the beginning of a decline in function, participation in social activities, and
independence, thus negatively affecting the quality of life. One in three people over the age of 65
years who are living in the community experience at least one fall each year. About 10% of these
falls are associated with serious injuries such as traumatic brain injury and hip fractures. Injuries
resulting from falls are the leading cause of hospitalization and financial hardships in older adults.
Loss of balance is one of the common precipitants of falls. Interventions in the form of walking,
cycling, structured exercises, and general medications are available, but do not significantly
reduce the risk of falling.
Older adults often have alterations in the brain balance circuit that cause ineffective responses to
prevent a fall when balance is challenged. In this proposal, we present early data from human
studies in which transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was guided by magnetic resonance
imaging [MRI] and electroencephalography [EEG] to focus on the supplementary motor area in
elderly subjects with balance disorders. These data show that the balance-circuit activation
patterns in those elderly patients changed to patterns resembling young healthy subjects, and
that short-term balance was improved (long-term balance improvement was not evaluated). Our
aim in the proposed Phase I project is to conduct a more comprehensive clinical study of these
guided TMS methods in the treatment of balance deficits in elderly patients with a history of falls.
If we are technically successful in this Phase I project, we intend to conduct Phase II definitive
studies that will validate the science to the satisfaction of the Food and Drug Administration. We
would then commercialize the technology by streamlining workflow and increasing patient access
through the fusion of the MRI, EEG, and TMS functionalities into a single compact mobile device
(aimed at treating balance deficits and other neurological disorders of the elderly). The new
balance-treatment device could be placed in geriatric or otolaryngology clinics, driven to patient's
homes, or rotated among nursing home facilities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10919977
- **Project number:** 1R41AG085838-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** WEINBERG MEDICAL PHYSICS, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Pranav J Parikh
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $100,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-25 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10919977

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10919977, Treating Balance Impairment of the Elderly with TMS-induced Brain Connectivity (1R41AG085838-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10919977. Licensed CC0.

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