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Doctors and veterans press Connecticut for pilot funding of neuromodulation therapy for stroke recovery
Summary
Physicians asked the Public Health Committee for $2 million to fund 10 veterans for VIVISTEM vagus‑nerve neuromodulation and associated rehab research, saying early results show sustained gains years after stroke; lawmakers pressed for evidence, VA coordination and long‑term funding plans.
HARTFORD — Physicians, veterans and advocates urged Connecticut lawmakers Monday to fund a small research-and-treatment pilot offering neuromodulation therapy to veterans and other patients with chronic stroke impairment, saying early clinical experience shows life-changing improvements even years after a stroke.
What was proposed: Speakers asked the Public Health Committee to authorize $2 million to cover surgery, device, rehabilitation and research for 10 veterans at UConn Health and Hartford HealthCare. The request would fund implants of the VIVISTEM vagus‑nerve stimulator, intensive targeted occupational and physical therapy, neuroimaging and gait research to measure how the brain reorganizes after stimulation.
Why supporters argue it—s urgent: "This therapy ends up being really miraculously effective," neurosurgeon Dr. Chris Connor told the committee. Connor described patients who had long plateaued after stroke regaining function that…
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