Casa Colina Research Institute Receives Seed Funding to Study Vagal Nerve Stimulation in the Treatment of Stroke

Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare has received a Richard Materson ERF New Investigator Research Grant award in the amount of $10,000 from the Foundation for Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. Given to select recipients via a competitive peer-review process, the annual award provides short-term seed funding for research in topics related to the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R).

The grant is awarded to principal investigator Elliott Block, DO, a PM&R physician at Casa Colina, as well as co-investigators Preston Hatch, DO and Curren Giberson, MD, both current residents in Casa Colina’s PM&R Residency Program. The funding supports medical research that examines vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) in the rehabilitation of patients who have experienced stroke.

In the United States, more than 795,000 people have a stroke every year, and the motor impairment that commonly results can be debilitating. The use of “neuromodulation” techniques such as VNS has shown to enhance neurologic recovery in these patients. The study will build upon the current research to investigate changes in electrical brain activity related to short-term and longer-term improvements in motor and cognitive recovery following the use of VNS in acute stroke patients.

An official presentation of the award will take place on Thursday, November 14, 2023 during the Foundation for PM&R's annual Donor Appreciation Reception at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation’s Annual Assembly in New Orleans.