# Enhancing Recovery after Chronic Bilateral Cervical Spinal Cord Injury with Targeted Plasticity Therapy

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS · 2020 · $334,688

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a major cause of disability, currently affecting 276,000 individuals in the U.S. alone
and millions more worldwide. Cervical SCI (cSCI) accounts for 55% of all SCIs and typically results in impaired
upper extremity motor function. The majority of cSCI patients have bilateral damage to the spinal cord.
Identifying and developing rehabilitative therapies that promote recovery of upper extremity function after
bilateral cSCI is of great clinical importance.
We propose to evaluate a novel therapeutic intervention which uses precisely timed stimulation of the vagus
nerve paired with rehabilitative training. Pairing vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) with movement engages pro-
plasticity neuromodulatory systems and results in highly specific, long-lasting neuroplasticity in rat motor
cortex. Based on this enhancement of plasticity, our recent results demonstrate that VNS paired with
rehabilitation significantly enhances recovery of forelimb motor function in rat models of ischemic stroke,
hemorrhagic stroke, and traumatic brain injury. Moreover, our preliminary results suggest that VNS therapy is
effective in a unilateral model of SCI. To test this in a model that more accurately represents the clinical SCI
population, we propose to evaluate VNS paired with rehabilitative training in a model of chronic, bilateral cSCI
and examine the neuroplasticity in cortical and spinal motor networks that may underlie recovery. In addition,
we will define the role of two key neuromodulatory systems, the cholinergic and noradrenergic systems, in
recovery after SCI. We hypothesize the VNS paired with rehabilitative training will support functional and
anatomical plasticity in descending motor networks to enhance recovery of function after bilateral cSCI.
The results of the proposed experiments will clarify the relationship between bilateral cervical spinal damage,
neuroplasticity, neuromodulatory function, and upper limb motor recovery. Moreover, this proposal will provide
a proof-of-concept evaluation of VNS paired with rehabilitative training to improve recovery of forelimb function
after a severe bilateral SCI and elucidate the mechanisms that support recovery.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9934017
- **Project number:** 5R01NS103803-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL P KILGARD
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $334,688
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-06-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9934017

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9934017, Enhancing Recovery after Chronic Bilateral Cervical Spinal Cord Injury with Targeted Plasticity Therapy (5R01NS103803-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9934017. Licensed CC0.

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