Areas of Expertise
A number of interrelated areas of expertise are represented within the NCRRN, including:
- HIPAA-compliant methods for efficient subject recruitment
- Cognitive theory and cognitive assessment
- Naturalistic assessment of cognitive impairments
- Virtual Reality and Assistive Devices
- Treatment experimental design
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
- Event related potentials
- Imaging informatics
- Pharmacological intervention
- Outside expertise
HIPAA-compliant methods for efficient subject recruitment
NCRRN operates a consent-based research registry of individuals with stroke and traumatic brain injury who are interested in participating in cognitive rehabilitation research (Myrna Schwartz, PhD, Principal Investigator). These individuals are recruited from a variety of inpatient and outpatient programs in the Philadelphia area. This consent-based registry protects potential subjects’ privacy within the standards of HIPAA, while facilitating access to researchers who have appropriate approvals in place. The registry includes demographic information, information about brain lesions, and gross information about the types of cognitive deficits displayed by enrolled individuals. Investigators who enroll participants from the registry provide updated information about cognitive function that helps to maintain the registry’s accuracy. The operation of the registry has been described. Registry staff are able to provide guidance regarding establishing such registries elsewhere. In addition, for individuals who are approved to engage in collaborative research with NCRRN investigators, the registry is available as a source of local research participants.
Cognitive theory and cognitive assessment
NCRRN investigators study a range of cognitive topics that span normal cognitive processing, the nature of neuro-cognitive impairments, and the impact of treatments designed to enhance cognitive functioning. This range of expertise ensures that theories of cognitive impairment are developed in light of the current state of knowledge regarding normal cognitive processes, and that treatments under investigation have a firm theoretical basis, given what is known about the cognitive process and its disordered functioning. NCRRN investigators are able to provide guidance about relevant cognitive theories and about ways to measure specific cognitive processes, particularly in the areas of auditory processing (Stefanatos), language (Coslett, Fink, Schwartz, Stefanatos), spatial attention (Buxbaum, Coslett), temporal attention (Hart, Kim, Whyte) executive function (Hart, Kim, Kimberg, Osman, Schwartz, Whyte), skilled hand use (Buxbaum), and control of multi-step naturalistic actions (Buxbaum, Schwartz).
Naturalistic assessment of cognitive impairments
Treatment of cognitive impairments of necessity requires attention to two levels of assessment. How are the fundamental cognitive processes being targeted for treatment altered by the intervention? and What is the impact of treatment on complex naturalistic tasks that depend on the cognitive processes of interest? NCRRN investigators (Buxbaum, Hart, Schwartz, Whyte) have particular expertise in assessing the relationship between underlying cognitive processes and real world behavior, using innovative naturalistic assessment tools.
Virtual Reality and Assistive Devices
NCRRN investigators (Buxbaum, Coslett, Fink, Hart, Schwartz, Stefanatos) have experience in research on technology applications in language, memory, and hemispatial neglect, including the use of virtual reality in assessment and treatment, and assistive devices as cognitive orthoses.
Treatment experimental design
Cognitive rehabilitation treatment research encounters many complex challenges ranging from the selection of appropriate treatment candidates, to the definition of the active ingredients of treatment, to the appropriate outcome measures to detect treatment effects. NCRRN investigators (Buxbaum, Coslett, Fink, Hart, Kim, Schwartz, Whyte) offer specific expertise in experimental design for studies related to an enhanced understanding of cognitive impairments and their response to treatment.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
NCRRN investigators (Detre, Kim, Kimberg) have experience applying BOLD, perfusion, and other imaging protocols to the study of cognitive processes and cognitive rehabilitation.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Use of TMS as both a diagnostic tool and a treatment intervention is under study at the NCRRN (Coslett).
Event related potentials
Investigators at the NCRRN have experience in the design of portable methods of ERP data acquisition in language, attention, and motor preparation (Osman, Stefanatos), and in combining this method with structural and functional imaging modalities.
Imaging informatics
NCRRN researchers have developed systems for collecting and analyzing structural lesion information, along with statistical approaches to exploring lesion/behavior relationships (Kimberg).
Pharmacological intervention
Investigators at NCRRN offer expertise in studying pharmacologic influences on cognitive function, particularly attention, executive function, and language (Kim, Kimberg, Stefanatos, Whyte).
Outside expertise
The expertise represented by NCRRN core members will be augmented by contributions from visiting scholars.