Tactile communication and neurorehabilitation lab receives brain injury grant

Vivek Prabhakaran, MD, PhD and the Tactile Communication and Neurorehabilitation Laboratory (TCNL) were awarded a traumatic brain injury grant by Helius Medical Technologies and the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.

This $500,000 award supports research which will evaluate the efficacy of a neuromodulation device in treating balance disorders in TBI patients.

UW–Madison is one of the sites involved in this multi-site study with a total enrollment goal of 120 TBI patients. Other sites include Montreal Neurofeedback Center (Montreal, Quebec; Orlando Regional Medical Center (Orlando, Florida); Oregon Health & Science University, Center for Regenerative Medicine/Portland VA Hospital (Portland, Oregon); HealthTech Connex, Inc. (Surrey, British Columbia); Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, Virginia); and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital (Washington, D.C.).

Other UW Radiology personnel involved in the study include Assistant Scientist Veena Nair, PhD, Research Associate Jiancheng Hou, PhD, and Research Intern Hector Salazar, as well as study coordinators Clinical Nurse Specialist Cynthia Davis, RN, and Radiology Nurse Supervisor Molly Ellertson, RN.

The TCNL, now closed, was a research center that studies the theory and application of applied neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to reorganize in response to new information, needs, and pathways. The aim of TCNL’s research is the development of solutions for sensory and motor disorders. TCNL is administratively part of the UW–Madison Department of Kinesiology.