VA Office of Research and Development
Establishing a sensitive, scalable physiological test for neurovascular reflex integrity and investigating whether targeted peripheral neural stimulation can enhance perfusion and vasodilatory responsiveness.
The overarching goal of this project is to define how targeted afferent activation can be used to restore impaired neurovascular reflexes, improve skin perfusion, and ultimately prevent further decline in limb health in Veterans. By integrating functional and structural imaging with neural modulation, this work will establish foundational evidence for diagnostic and therapeutic strategies aimed at early detection of neurovascular decline and prevention of tissue breakdown in both Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN) and residual-limb contexts. Furthermore, this work will establish the feasibil…
Inclusion Criteria: Inclusion Criteria - All Participants: * English-speaking * Veteran Inclusion Criteria - Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN) Participants: * Confirmed diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus for at least 5 years * Clinical signs and/or symptoms consistent with diabetic peripheral neuropathy Or confirmation of neuropathy via physical exam Inclusion Criteria - Lower Limb Amputees: * Unilateral transtibial or transfemoral amputation * Medically stable for at least 3 months * For the designated subset of the limb-loss cohort (n = 6): implanted with C-FINEs on the…
The implanted neural and and muscular interface will be used to characterize neurovascular reflex testing (thermal axon reflex \& pressure-induced vasodilation) and microvascular imaging using Laser Doppler Flowmetry and PAI. Reflex responses will be evaluated under baseline and stimulation conditions (sham, tonic, biomimetic), with direct stimulation performed by the CFINE cohort for modality comparison. Structural-functional relationships will be modeled by integrating metrics from PAI with reflex outcomes.
The cutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation interface will be used to characterize neurovascular reflex testing (thermal axon reflex \& pressure-induced vasodilation) and microvascular imaging using Laser Doppler Flowmetry and PAI. Reflex responses will be evaluated under baseline and stimulation conditions (sham, tonic, biomimetic). Structural-functional relationships will be modeled by integrating metrics from PAI with reflex outcomes.
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