“Locomotor Experience Applied Post-Stroke (LEAPS)”
NINDS, R01 NS050506
P.I.: Pam Duncan
Co- P.I: Andrea Behrman
Co-P.I.: Danny Martin
Dates: 9/25/05 – 06/30/10
Funding: $106,343.00

The proposed objective of the Locomotor Experience Applied Post-Stroke (LEAPS) trial is to conduct a 5-year, phase III, single-blinded, multi-site (5 clinical sites) randomized clinical trail to asses if there is a difference between locomotor training provided 2 months post-stroke or 6 months post-stoke and a non-specific, low intensity exercise (control) intervention in the proportion of participants who successfully recover walking ability.

“Restoring Walking in Non-Ambulatory Children with Severe Chronic SCI”
The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation
P.I.: Andrea Behrman
Dates: 12/01/06 – 11/31/08
Funding: $125,000.00

The objective of this proposal is to expand upon findings by determining, in other juvenile subjects, if walking can be restored after severe chronic SCI in the absence of or with minimal voluntary lower extremity (LE) movement.

“Development of an Experimental Model of Endogenous Lower Back Pain”
UF Division of Sponsored Research – Opportunity Fund
P.I.: Mark Bishop
Co-P.I.: G C Dover
Dates: 06/01/06 – 12/31/07
Funding: $80,769.00

The aim of this research proposal is to develop an experimental model of low back pain that is ecologically valid and safe. We plan to compare two modes of exercise for the development of muscle pain, and quantify subsequent movement impairment, disability, and changes in sensory perception using psychophysical techniques.

“The Link Between Smoking and Recovery From Frailty in Older Floridians”
Department of Health
P.I.: Mark Bishop
Co-P.I.: Kathye Light
Dates: 01/01/05 – 06/30/08
Funding: $368,483.00

The long-term goal of this study is to improve the method of creating individualized rehabilitation programs that will successfully return older Floridians affected by tobacco-related diseases to, and maintain them at, a higher level of independent living.

“2005 Giles F Filley Memorial Award for Excellence in Respiratory Physiology and Medicine”
American Physiological Society
P.I.: David Fuller
Dates: 03/21/05 – 03/20/11
Funding: $20,000.00

A special award recognizing excellence in studies that address the mechanisms underlying respiratory neuroplasticity after spinal cord injury.

“Plasticity and Repair in the Phrenic Motor System”
NINDS, R01NS054025
P.I.: Paul Reier
Co-P.I.: David Fuller
Co-P.I.: Donald Bolser
Dates: 01/01/06 – 12/31/10
Funding: $20,504.00

Multiple forms of spontaneous respiratory neuroplasticity occur at spinal and brainstem levels in adult rats after lesions to the cervical spinal cord. The goal of this proposal is to enhance naturally occurring processes that can lead to partial improvement of phrenic motoneuron (PhMN) functions that were initially lost or modified after high cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) and to define underlying changes in the neural substrate

“Safety and Feasibility of Viral Vector- or Plasmid-Based Targeting on Zinc Finger Protein Gene Activators in the Normal and Injured Rat Spinal Cord”
Sangamo Biosciences
P.I.: Paul Reier
Co-P.I.: David Fuller
Co-P.I.: Dena Howland
Co-P.I.: Prodip Bose
Co-P.I.: Floyd Thompson
Dates: 07/01/06 – 12/31/07
Funding: $64,926.00

The objective of this study is to establish optimal delivery conditions for rAAV- and pCMV –expressed VEGF activator and determine that long-term expression of this activator in the spinal cord is safe.

“The Role of Nicotine in the Neural Control of Respiratory and Cardiovascular Systems”
Department of Health
P.I.: Paul Davenport
Co-P.I.: David Fuller
Co-P.I.: Linda Hayward
Co-P.I.: Donald Bolser
Co-P.I.: Thomas Vickroy
Co-P.I.: Andrea Vovk
Co-P.I.: Danny Martin
Co-P.I.: Richard Berry
Dates: 07/01/06 – 06/30/08
Funding: $99,674.00

The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of nicotine on cardiorespiratory control from the level of specific receptor subtypes within the brain to the level of human cognition and circadian behavior. The central focus will be on the role of nicotine acting on the central nervous system, modulating and regulating the neural control of respiratory and cardiovascular behaviors.

“Female Sex Hormones and Spinal Injury”
NINDS, R03 NS050684
P.I.: David Fuller
Dates: 08/01/05 – 12/31/07
Funding: $143,790.00

This study will examine the influence of endogenous and exogenous estrogen and progesterone on respiratory motor recovery after cervical spinal cord injury in rats.

“Control of Breathing and Clycogen Storage”
NINDS, R01 HD052682
P.I.: David Fuller
Dates: 02/15/07 – 01/31/08
Funding: $311,313.00

The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that CNS GAA deficiency impairs respiratory motor output, and therefore respiratory insufficiency associated with systematic GAA deficiency reflects both neural and muscular pathology.

“Behavioral Interventions for Low Back Pain”
ARTHRITIS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL AND SKIN DISEASES
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, R03 AR051128
P.I.: Steven George
Co-P.I.: Mike Robinson
Dates: 07/01/05 – 06/30/08
Funding: $143,790.00

The long-term goal of this project is to determine the efficacy of behavior interventions for reducing the likelihood of developing chronic low back pain.

“Pain Rehabilitation: Patient Centered Outcomes”
NINDS, R01 NR010324
P.I.: Mike Robinson
Co-P.I.: Steven George
Dates: 09/29/06 – 06/30/09
Funding: $8,058.00

The purpose of this project is to compare pain treatment outcome from the perspective of the patient with traditional measures of treatment outcome.

“Prevention of Low Back Pain in the Military: A Randomized Clinical Trial”
US Army – Department of Defense
P.I.: Steven George
Co-P.I.: Samuel Wu
Co-P.I.: Michael Robinson
Dates: 06/01/06 – 05/31/10
Funding: $1,008,426.00

The objective of this study is to determine if the core stabilization exercise program (CSEP) and psychosocial education program (PSEP) are effective programs to prevent lower back pain (LBP) in Soldiers.

“Mechanisms of Neural Mobilization for Chronic Pain”
National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine
P.I.: Steven George
Co-P.I.: Mike Robinson
Dates: 09/30/06 – 08/31/08
Funding: $357,566.00

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“Intermuscular Coordination of Hemiparetic Walking”
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, R01HD46820
P.I.: Steven Kautz
Co-P.I.: Andrea Behrman
Dates: 06/01/04 – 05/31/09
Funding: $1,215,774.00

The long-term objectives of this work are to show that measures of abnormal muscle coordination in post-stroke walking will predict the outcome of therapy, assist in defining the specific muscle coordination changes associated with various therapeutic interventions, and correlate with structural and functional studies of the nervous system such that the underlying mechanisms can be better understood.

“Development of a Sim TK-based Framework for Hemiparetic Walking Assessment”
NINDS, R01 NS055380
P.I.: Richard Neptune
Co-P.I.: Steven Kautz
Dates: 04/01/07 – 03/31/08
Funding: $22,825.00

The overall goal of this research is to use musculoskeletal modeling and forward dynamic simulations to develop a scientific model-based foundation for understanding how impaired muscle coordination leads to characteristic patterns of hemiparetic walking in order to provide a more mechanistic assessment of hemiparetic motor control during walking.

“Examining Parameters of Constraint-Induced Therapy (EPCIT)”
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
P.I.: Kathye Light
Dates: 08/01/05 – 05/31/10
Funding: $683,543.00

The goal of this project is to explore the benefits of the home programs and boosters for CIMT.

“Respiratory Muscle Training in Ventilator Dependent Patients”
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
P.I.: Danny Martin
Dates: 12/15/03 – 11/30/08
Funding: $1,246,339.00

The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of a respiratory muscle strength and endurance training program on the percentage of ventilator dependent patients weaned versus a SHAM control.

“The Role of Nicotine in the Neural Control of Respiratory and Cardiovascular Systems”
Department of Health
P.I.: Paul Davenport
Co-P.I.: Danny Martin
Co-P.I.: Donald Bolser
Co-P.I.: Richard Berry
Co-P.I.: Linda Hayward
Co-P.I.: Thomas Vickroy
Dates: 07/01/06 – 06/30/08
Funding: $25,166.00

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of nicotine on important respiratory and cardiovascular neural control centers. This TSP will systematically investigate the influence of nicotine on cardiorespiratory control from the level of specific receptor subtypes within the brain to the level of human cognition and circadian behavior.

“Treatment of Obesity in Underserved Rural Settings – Tours”
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
P.I.: Michael Perri
Co-P.I.: Danny Martin
Dates: 06/01/03 – 05/31/08
Funding: $88,732.00

The primary objective of TOURS is to test the effectiveness of weight-loss maintenance programs in a randomized controlled trial, conducted in medically underserved rural settings.

“Matching Funds of NIH Project “Interdisciplinary Training in Rehabilitation and Neuromuscular Plasticity”
UF Division of Sponsored Research – Special Board Allocation
P.I.: Krista Vandenborne
Co-P.I.: Pamela Duncan
Dates: 06/11/03 – 06/30/08
Funding: $87,433.00

The goal of this proposal is to develop a unique interdisciplinary pre-doctoral training program in rehabilitation and neuromuscular plasticity. The focus will be on emphasizing the interaction and joint training of medical rehabilitation clinicians and basic scientists with a common interest in translation research in neuromuscular plasticity.

“Validation of MR Imagining for Clinical Trials in Muscular Dystrophy”
Muscular Dystrophy Association
P.I.: Krista Vandenborne
Dates: 07/01/06 – 06/30/09
Funding: $279,960.00

The overall objective of this proposal is to validate the potential of noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) to monitor disease progression and the efficacy of new therapeutic interventions in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

“Modulation of Muscle Growth for Muscle Dystrophies”
National Institute of Health, U54-AR052646
P.I.: Krista Vandenborne
Co-P.I.: Glenn Walter
Dates: 06/01/06 – 05/31/07 (expired but due to renew)
Funding: $69,444.62

The objective of this study is the development of a noninvasive methodology that permits the non-destructive and longitudinal study of disease progression and/or regression of human and murine dystrophy by stop codon suppression treatment.

“Molecular Signatures of Muscle Rehabilitation After Limb Disuse”
National Institute of Health, RO1 HD048051
P.I.: Krista Vandenborne
Co-P.I.: Mark Scarborough
Co-P.I.: Charles Gibbs
Dates: 09/28/04 – 07/31/09
Funding: $975,440.00

The overall objective of this proposal is to identify the molecular (transcriptional) signatures associated with muscle remodeling in response to rehabilitation in patient cohort.

“IGF-1 Gene Transfer to Accelerate Muscle Recovery Following Disuse”
National Institute of Health, RO1 HD42955
P.I.: Krista Vandenborne
Co-P.I.: Glenn Walter
Dates: 02/01/02 – 01/31/08
Funding: $934,528.00

The objective of this study is to investigate the potential of virus-mediated gene transfer of IGF-1 to accelerate the recovery of muscle following immobilization.

“Noninvasive Monitoring and Tracking of Muscle Stem Cells”
National Institute of Health, R01 HL078670
P.I.: Glenn Walter
Co-P.I.: Krista Vandenborne
Co-P.I.: Barry Byrne
Dates: 09/22/04 - 08/31/08
Funding: $85,262.60

The overall objective of this proposal is to develop high-resolution imaging methods to non-invasively evaluate cell-based therapies in skeletal and cardiac myopathies.

“Interdisciplinary Training in Rehabilitation and Neuromuscular Plasticity”
National Institute of Health, T32 HD043730
P.I.: Krista Vandenborne
Dates: 06/11/03 – 04/30/08
Funding: $661, 894.00

The major goal of this study is to develop a unique interdisciplinary pre-doctoral training program in rehabilitation and neuromuscular plasticity. This training program in rehabilitation and neuromuscular plasticity will provide the interdisciplinary environment that is fundamental to the advancement of rehabilitation research.