# Rehabilitation from Spinal Cord Injury Using Targeted, Activity-Dependent Intraspinal Stimulation

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2020 · $424,480

## Abstract

Project Summary
 The objective of the proposed project is to develop a neuroprosthetic therapy that uses
targeted, activity-dependent spinal stimulation to improve arm and hand motor recovery after
cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). The project seeks to advance clinical practice through the use
of brain-computer-interface technology to harness physiological mechanisms of neural plasticity.
 Motor deficits severely impact the quality of life of people with SCI, yet current treatments
produce limited improvements in movement abilities. Recent clinical and experimental evidence
suggests that electrical stimulation of the nervous system can be an effective therapy for a
variety of neurological disorders. This preclinical project will evaluate a novel application of
electrical stimulation for rehabilitation of forelimb motor deficits in a rat model of SCI. The
strategy is designed to enhance the function of spared neural pathways by directing Hebbian
plasticity through targeted stimulation of volitionally activated neural circuits. Results will lay the
foundation for a future clinical trial using spinal stimulation in human subjects with SCI.
 Preliminary data demonstrate the effectiveness of one-channel, intraspinal stimulation
triggered by activity of a forelimb muscle to improve motor performance in rats with chronic SCI.
Specific Aim 1 seeks a) to develop a multi-channel intervention to enhance functional recovery
and b) to characterize the interplay between stimulation and physical rehabilitation in order to
establish principles for combining the therapies. Specific Aim 2 will determine the relative
effectiveness of ECoG vs. EMG as a triggering signal for facilitating behavioral recovery.
Specific Aim 3 begins an investigation of the mechanisms of action of the intervention to
suggest refinements and combinatorial therapies to facilitate further recovery.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9963421
- **Project number:** 5R01NS099872-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Steve I Perlmutter
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $424,480
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2021-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9963421

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9963421, Rehabilitation from Spinal Cord Injury Using Targeted, Activity-Dependent Intraspinal Stimulation (5R01NS099872-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9963421. Licensed CC0.

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