Tuesday, January 6, 2026 1/6/2026

A staged, comprehensive investigation for developing insular deep brain stimulation to treat refractory chronic pain

Award Number: UH3NS123308
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/20/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/29/2028

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A staged, comprehensive investigation for developing insular deep brain stimulation to treat refractory chronic pain - PROJECT SUMMARY Patients with refractory chronic pain typically do not respond to traditional analgesics or weak opioids as these agents do not directly address the cause for their pain. Many chronic pain patients do not achieve satisfactory pain relief even with evidence-based treatment, or they do not tolerate effective doses because of adverse side effects. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is already an established treatment for intractable movement disorders and epilepsy, and recent advancements in the fields of pain neurophysiology and biotechnology may facilitate the use of DBS as a nonpharmacological therapy for refractory chronic pain. In the first stage of the proposed project, we will enroll 12 subjects with refractory neuropathic pain to an inpatient clinical trial for insular brain mapping with acute stimulation and neurophysiological brain monitoring. Electrodes for stimulating and recording will be implanted stereotactically along the anterior-posterior axis of the insular cortex. Subjects with positive analgesic effects during acute insular stimulation in the first stage of the proposed project will continue to the second stage, which will consist of a randomized, sham-stimulation-controlled, double-blinded, cross-over clinical trial of chronic insular DBS with the purpose of obtaining safety and efficacy data for this procedure. Furthermore, we aim to develop neurophysiological biomarkers of pain by studying changes in neural activity. Safety data, effect size, and insular stimulation parameters obtained from this research will be used in the design of subsequent clinical trials. The neurophysiological pain biomarkers identified in this project will also aid the development of a novel, closed-loop insular DBS system, as well as new diagnostic/prognostic measures for managing chronic pain. If proven to be safe and effective, insular DBS will offer a much needed non-pharmacological treatment option for patients suffering from refractory chronic pain.


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: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2025	RECTOR & VISITORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA	1001 EMMET ST N	CHARLOTTESVILLE	VA	22903	CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	3	11/20/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $901,805 )
2025	2025	RECTOR & VISITORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA	1001 EMMET ST N	CHARLOTTESVILLE	VA	22903	CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	3	3/24/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$901,805
2025	2025	RECTOR & VISITORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA	1001 EMMET ST N	CHARLOTTESVILLE	VA	22903	CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	3	9/9/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $901,805

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2024	2023	RECTOR & VISITORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA	1001 EMMET ST N	CHARLOTTESVILLE	VA	22903	CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	2	9/12/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $1,002,003 )
2023	2023	RECTOR & VISITORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA	1001 EMMET ST N	CHARLOTTESVILLE	VA	22903	CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	2	9/1/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$1,002,003
														Subtotal = $1,002,003

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $1,056,031 )
2022	2022	RECTOR & VISITORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA	1001 N EMMET ST	CHARLOTTESVILLE	VA	22903	CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	9/19/2022	NEW	$1,056,031
														Subtotal = $1,056,031

Grand Total All Awards = $2,959,839

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A staged, comprehensive investigation for developing insular deep brain stimulation to treat refractory chronic pain

Award Number: UH3NS123308

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/20/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/29/2028

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