THE BURKE REHABILITATION HOSPITAL
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Richard Sgaglio
Burke Rehabilitation Hospital
(914) 597-2491 – Office
(914) 471-7070 – Cell
rsgaglio@burke.org
Jorina Fontelera
Burke Rehabilitation Hospital
(914) 597-2877 – Office
(914) 609-5451 – Cell
jfontelera@burke.org
www.burke.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“BURKE MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE SCIENTIST AWARDED GRANT
FROM NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH FOR STROKE RESEARCH”
WHITE PLAINS, NY – April 25, 2012 -- The Burke Medical Research Institute—the
research entity of the Burke Rehabilitation Center—has been awarded a five-year, $3.25 million
scientific research grant for stroke research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH
is the nation’s medical research agency—supporting scientific studies resulting in important
discoveries that improve health and save lives.
Stroke is the leading cause of serious and long-term disability in the United States, with
approximately 795,000 Americans suffering a stroke annually. Stroke survivors are often left
with residual motor dysfunction, which despite the best-known care, results in substantial
personal, social and economic cost. This new NIH funding will allow continued studies Burke at
to evaluate the clinical benefit of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation delivered prior to
robotic motor training. It is the hope that the stimulation will improve clinical function in chronic
stroke patients when performed over a 12-week period.
The principal investigator is Dylan Edwards, Ph.D., P.T., director of the Non-Invasive
Brain Stimulation and Human Motor Control Laboratory at the Burke Medical Research Institute
and assistant professor of neurology and neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College. He has
been studying the use of non-invasive electric stimulation in stroke and spinal cord injury
patients for several years, and his work is considered at the forefront of the field.
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According to Edwards, "Transcranial direct current stimulation and robotic movement
training are emerging rehabilitation techniques that can enhance motor function in the long-term
stroke survivor. We have previously shown evidence that brain stimulation can prime the brain
for robotic movement therapy. We will now be testing the clinical benefit of combined therapy,
where brain stimulation precedes each robotic training session.”
Edwards is conducting this study with fellow scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. They aim to understand the physiological and behavioral aspects of this emerging
rehabilitation strategy, and anticipate that their “findings will guide the use of transcranial brain
stimulation and physical therapy in post stroke patients in the future," Edwards adds.
Along with potentially optimizing motor recovery in stroke, the study results may
ultimately have broader application in other neurological disorders. According to Rajiv R. Ratan,
M.D., Ph.D, executive director of the Burke Medical Research Institute and professor of
neurology and neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College, “The study could have significant
impact because the researchers will determine if these combined therapies increase brain
plasticity and help reduce disability in chronic stroke patients. This research could have far
reaching implications for those suffering from stroke and other neurological injury such as
traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. It could change the way we approach rehabilitation
and ultimately help patients recover.”
The Burke Medical Research Institute has begun recruiting stroke patients for the study.
If you or someone you know has had a stroke a minimum of one year ago and are still
experiencing neurological issues or movement deficits, you may be eligible to participate in the
study. The brain stimulation is considered safe and painless, and involves sitting quietly wearing
a headband with the electrodes, and reading for 20mins prior to therapy. For additional
information, please contact Avrielle Rykman, M.A., OTR/L at (914) 597-2220 or via email at
arykman@burke.org.
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785 MAMARONECK AVENUE, WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK 10605 914-597-2500
WWW.BURKE.ORG
THE BURKE REHABILITATION HOSPITAL
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Funded by grants and private donations, Burke’s Medical Research Institute is involved
in cutting-edge basic, translational and clinical research, providing new knowledge that can
become the basis for future rehabilitation therapies in the areas of stroke, traumatic brain injury
and spinal cord injury.
The Institute has recently added new research laboratories in the areas of pain, vision
restoration and motor recovery. The institute strives to assist patients to recover more fully, not
just decrease disability, which has been the focus of mainstream rehabilitation research
historically.
Burke Rehabilitation Hospital is a private, not-for-profit, acute rehabilitation hospital.
Founded in 1915, it is the only hospital in Westchester County dedicated solely to rehabilitation
medicine. Burke offers both inpatient and outpatient programs for those who have experienced a
disabling illness, traumatic injury or joint replacement surgery. Burke is both an acute
rehabilitation hospital and medical research center. Burke’s world renowned doctors and
therapists provide state-of-the-art treatment, while its research scientists at the Burke Medical
Research Institute explore the frontiers of neurological and rehabilitation medicine. All share the
Burke mission to ensure that every patient makes the fullest possible recovery from illness or
injury regardless of their ability to pay.
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785 MAMARONECK AVENUE, WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK 10605 914-597-2500
WWW.BURKE.ORG