University of Texas at Dallas research fellow wins award from International Spinal Cord Repair group

Patrick Ganzer, PhD, a research fellow in the Texas Biomedical Device Center at the University of Texas at Dallas, recently received a best paper award from the International Spinal Cord Repair group for an animal study that uses vagus nerve stimulation paired with rehabilitation to enhance neuroplasticity.

In their study, Ganzer and colleagues found vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy with rehabilitation helped recover 75% more forelimb strength than rehabilitation alone after cervical spinal cord injury. VNS therapy is FDA-approved for various neurological disorders, such as depression and epilepsy. It involves sending a mild electric pulse through the vagus nerve, which allows precise control of neurotransmitter release throughout the nervous system, according to a university press release.

“The honor highlights the potential significance of this approach to treating spinal cord injuries,” Robert L. Rennaker, PhD, executive director of the Texas Biomedical Device Center and head of the department of bioengineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, said in the release.

Using trained rats, the researchers tested the animals on a task that measured volitional forelimb strength. Researchers then compared the strength of subjects treated with VNS and rehabilitation to those who only received rehabilitation after a cervical spinal cord injury. Rats that received VNS recovered 75% more forelimb strength, according to the release.

“Even though the brain and spinal cord are two distant but connected structures, our findings show that the brain is functionally engaged in recovery from cervical spinal cord injury driven by VNS therapy,” Ganzer said in a press release.

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