Monday, February 16, 2026 2/16/2026

Mechanisms of Action of Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation for Chronic Pain

Award Number: F31NS113407
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2022

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Mechanisms of Action of Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation for Chronic Pain - Project Summary The goal of this study is to elucidate the mechanisms of action of dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRGS) for chronic pain. Chronic pain affects approximately 100 million Americans, and accounts for more than 600 billion dollars in healthcare costs each year. DRGS is an FDA-approved neurostimulation therapy for chronic pain that is refractory to conventional medical management. Although some patients receive sufficient pain relief in response to DRGS, clinical outcomes are often inconsistent. This variation in pain relief across patients may be due to poor understanding of the physiological mechanisms governing stimulation-induced pain relief. Therefore, we seek to uncover these mechanisms to ultimately optimize DRGS and improve clinical outcomes. This study is driven by previous computer modeling results from our lab showing that within stimulation parameter ranges used clinically, DRGS is likely driving the activity of large myelinated sensory neurons. In this proposed study, we will further investigate these mechanisms using computational models to determine sources of interpatient variability in DRGS outcomes. Furthermore, we will validate these models using clinical electrophysiological data, and inform the cellular anatomy of our models using histological data. We hypothesize that electrode location will be the largest source of variability in DRGS outcomes, and that positive DRGS outcomes will predict predominant activation of large myelinated sensory neurons. This project aims to characterize the mechanisms of action of DRGS to improve the implementation and outcomes of the therapy, and the models resulting from this project could be used to systematically design and test novel stimulation technologies (e.g. electrode and waveform design).


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2023	2021	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN	1109 GEDDES AVE, SUITE 3300	ANN ARBOR	MI	48109	WASHTENAW	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	2	5/15/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = -$8,612 )
2022	2021	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN	503 THOMPSON ST	ANN ARBOR	MI	48109	WASHTENAW	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	2	6/29/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$8,612
2022	2021	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN	503 THOMPSON ST	ANN ARBOR	MI	48109	WASHTENAW	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	2	2/4/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = -$8,612

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $39,770 )
2021	2021	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN	503 THOMPSON ST	ANN ARBOR	MI	48109	WASHTENAW	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	2	9/2/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$39,770
														Subtotal = $39,770

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $38,790 )
2020	2020	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN	503 THOMPSON ST	ANN ARBOR	MI	48109	WASHTENAW	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	1	5/1/2020	NEW	$0
2020	2020	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN	503 THOMPSON ST	ANN ARBOR	MI	48109	WASHTENAW	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	5/1/2020	NEW	$38,790
														Subtotal = $38,790

Grand Total All Awards = $69,948

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Mechanisms of Action of Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation for Chronic Pain

Award Number: F31NS113407

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2022

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer