WHITE PLAINS – Burke Neurological Institute in White Plains has been awarded more than $2.3 million in federal funds over a five-year period from the National Institutes of Health.
The grant will be used to study strategies for rehabilitation after spinal cord trauma.
“One of the major priorities of the Burke Neurological Institute, an affiliate of Weill Cornell Medicine, is to repair the spinal cord after trauma so people can walk again,” said Dr. Rajiv Ratan, executive director of the institute. “Intense focus around the world has been directed toward repairing local circuits below the neck. Dr. Edmund Hollis’ exciting studies suggest that the intact brain above the spinal cord can contribute to functional recovery in exciting new ways.”
“Spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases not only rob people of the jobs of everyday movement, but they can dramatically harm an individual’s autonomy,” said Congresswoman Nita Lowey, who announced the grant. “This funding will support the efforts of Burke Neurological Institute of Weill Cornell Medicine, to pave the path for therapeutic advances to improve voluntary muscle movements and motor recovery in individuals who have suffered a spinal cord injury.”
