# Reorganization of Motor Cortex After Brain Injury

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $623,241

## Abstract

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 The capacity for individuals to recover motor function after stroke or traumatic brain injury is thought to be
largely dependent upon adaptive plasticity mechanisms in uninjured regions of the brain. Over the past 20+
years, investigators have demonstrated a remarkable array of neurophysiological and neuroanatomical
changes after focal cortical injury in animal models, especially in spared cortical areas. Many of these changes
have been correlated with functional motor recovery. Also, neuroimaging and noninvasive stimulation studies
in human stroke survivors have shown changes in both the injured and the intact (or contralesional)
hemisphere. However, a focus of continuing debate is whether contralesional plasticity is adaptive,
maladaptive, or epiphenomenal. From a clinical perspective, this is a critical topic, since many investigators are
now employing non-invasive stimulation techniques to modulate activity in the intact hemisphere after stroke to
improve motor function. Our long-term goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the neural
mechanisms underlying recovery of function after brain injury. The objective of this application is to assess the
behavioral significance of post-injury neuronal plasticity, especially within the intact hemisphere. To this end,
we will utilize our extensive experience in neurophysiological recording, neuroanatomical tract-tracing and
behavioral approaches in mammalian models of injury and recovery to describe in detail the role of neuronal
plasticity in recovery of motor skills. Our central hypothesis is that spared cortical motor areas in the injured
and uninjured hemispheres play evolving and interdependent roles in the execution of motor tasks during
functional recovery (Aim 1), and that the participation of the intact hemisphere is dependent upon task
complexity (Aim 2), lesion anatomy (Aim 3), and post-injury behavioral experience (Aim 4). We also propose
that post-injury plasticity is associated with altered interhemispheric neuroanatomical connections (Aim 5). With
this new and unique information, investigators will be better able to design evidence-based interventions to
help restore function after cortical injuries. The application of chronic microelectrode recording techniques to
the question of neural network plasticity after cortical injury is quite novel. While motor output maps in
anesthetized animals have revealed behaviorally-relevant changes after injury, neuronal activity patterns (task-
related spike activity, local field potentials, interhemispheric communication) after injury in ambulatory animals
is largely unknown. At the conclusion of the proposed five-year project, we expect to have contributed in a
unique and substantial way to understanding cortical network dynamics after injury, significantly advancing our
ability to design future therapeutic interventions based on a firm mechanistic footing.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9961683
- **Project number:** 5R01NS030853-27
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Randolph J. Nudo
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $623,241
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1993-06-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9961683

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9961683, Reorganization of Motor Cortex After Brain Injury (5R01NS030853-27). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9961683. Licensed CC0.

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