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The influence of 3D printed prostheses on neural activation patterns of the primary motor cortex in children with unilateral congenital upper-limb reductions

Award Number: R01NS114282
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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The influence of 3D printed prostheses on neural activation patterns of the primary motor cortex in children with unilateral congenital upper-limb reductions - In the United States, more than 541,000 individuals live with congenital upper-limb reductions or amputations. Worldwide estimates for upper-limb congenital reductions range from 4-5/10,000 to 1/100 live births. The use of body-powered upper-limb prostheses helps children with upper-limb reductions to engage in functional activities that are fundamental to normal growth and motor development. However, the development of prostheses for children is complex due to their rapid and continuous growth. Up to 58% of children with upper-limb reductions reject or abandon their prosthesis due to excessive weight, lack of visual appeal, limited function and complexity of control. 3D printed prostheses provide a cost-effective solution to the development of light-weight, customized and visually appealing prostheses for children, potentially encouraging use. Theoretically, the use of a prosthesis may lead to an enlargement of the primary neuronal networks located in the cortical area involved with motor control of the affected limb. Ultimately, this might lead to a larger repertoire of motor strategies and integration of the prosthesis into the motor control of the child facilitating prosthesis acceptance. However, there is little or no evidence supporting this hypothesis. The neural basis underlying motor performance in children using a prosthesis has been severely understudied resulting in minimal empirical evidence. This is largely due to i) the high prosthesis rejection rate and abandonment observed in this pediatric population making it difficult to properly monitor behavioral or neural changes before and after using a prosthesis, and ii) technological constraints of traditional neuroimaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), in the assessment of brain function of pediatric populations. Functional near- infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has emerged as a practical neuroimaging technique that is less sensitive to noise and movement artifacts than EEG and fMRI, making it easier for children to tolerate testing. The use of fNIRS in conjunction with customized and visually appealing 3D printed prostheses would provide the unique opportunity to quantitatively assess the influence of upper-limb prostheses in the neural activation patterns of the primary motor cortex and motor performance of children. Our pilot work has shown a reduction of cortical activation, a more efficient motor response, and increased coordination after prolonged use of a 3D printed upper-limb prosthesis. This study will determine the influence of using a prosthesis on the neural activation patterns of the primary motor cortex in children with unilateral congenital partial hand reductions. The central hypothesis is that prolonged prosthesis use will result in a reduced primary cortex activation indicating that wearing a prosthesis may assist the primary motor cortex to produce a more refined, specialized, and efficient motor cortex response improving motor performance and the functional use of the prosthesis.


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: 2025 ( Subtotal = -$52,169 )
2025	2023	UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA	6001 DODGE ST EAB 209	OMAHA	NE	68182	DOUGLAS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	4	3/26/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$52,169
														Subtotal = -$52,169

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $300,430 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA	6001 DODGE ST EAB 209	OMAHA	NE	68182	DOUGLAS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	4	12/6/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$270,386
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA	6001 DODGE ST EAB 209	OMAHA	NE	68182	DOUGLAS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	4	2/1/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$30,044
														Subtotal = $300,430

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $315,271 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA	6001 DODGE ST EAB 209	OMAHA	NE	68182	DOUGLAS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	3	12/1/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$283,743
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA	6001 DODGE ST EAB 209	OMAHA	NE	68182	DOUGLAS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	3	6/22/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$31,528
														Subtotal = $315,271

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $462,069 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA	6001 DODGE ST EAB 209	OMAHA	NE	68182	DOUGLAS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	003	2	4/23/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$42,071
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA	6001 DODGE ST EAB 209	OMAHA	NE	68182	DOUGLAS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	002	2	12/31/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$378,631
2021	2020	UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA	6001 DODGE ST EAB 209	OMAHA	NE	68182	DOUGLAS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	1	11/6/2020	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$18,140
2021	2020	UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA	6001 DODGE ST EAB 209	OMAHA	NE	68182	DOUGLAS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	11/6/2020	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$23,227
														Subtotal = $462,069

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $420,889 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA	6001 DODGE ST EAB 209	OMAHA	NE	68182	DOUGLAS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	002	1	9/3/2020	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$33,789
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA	6001 DODGE ST EAB 209	OMAHA	NE	68182	DOUGLAS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	11/26/2019	NEW	$348,766
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA	6001 DODGE ST EAB 209	OMAHA	NE	68182	DOUGLAS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	1	9/1/2020	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$38,334
														Subtotal = $420,889

Grand Total All Awards = $1,446,490

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The influence of 3D printed prostheses on neural activation patterns of the primary motor cortex in children with unilateral congenital upper-limb reductions

Award Number: R01NS114282

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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