The Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VMAC), Rhode Island, and Brown University, Providence, have announced the opening of a new research center, led entirely by scientists jointly affiliated with Brown, that will develop and test technologies and therapies to help veterans with brain disorders, psychiatric conditions, and limb loss.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Rehabilitation Research and Development Service funded the new Center of Excellence for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology (CfNN), with $4.5 million over five years. The CfNN involves more than 30 researchers overall, including some based at Butler Hospital, Providence, and affiliated with Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
“The VA Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology brings together an exceptional group of scientists, clinicians, and engineers who carry out advanced research that’s leading to the latest cutting-edge technology and the newest therapies,” said John Donoghue, PhD, the Henry Merritt Wriston Professor of neuroscience and engineering at Brown and a research scientist at the VA, who directs the CfNN and the Brown Institute for Brain Science. “The research aims to restore the ability of our veterans to pursue fulfilling and independent lives.”
The CfNN is organized around two cores to support clinical trials and brain imaging, including Brown’s magnetic resonance imaging lab. It focuses on four areas of research: the BrainGate brain-computer interface (BCI) to help people with severe paralysis; advancing prostheses for individuals with upper-limb amputations; robotic- and computer-assisted rehabilitation for patients with strokes, multiple sclerosis, and other disorders; and neuromodulation technologies, such as electrical and magnetic brain stimulation to treat chronic pain, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other psychiatric disorders.
In his remarks Donoghue noted that all four research projects are already engaged in clinical trials where innovations are being tested and translated with real patients.
“This new Center of Excellence is a major new asset for brain science research, the fruits of which will benefit both our veterans and the broader population,” said Vincent Ng, the Providence VAMC director.
