NCRRN.org

Dr. Whyte is the Principal Investigator of the NCRRN and Director of Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute and Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. He is trained in PM&R with specialization in traumatic brain injury (TBI), and holds a PhD in experimental psychology. He has received funding from the NIH, NIDRR, the Department of the Army, and several private foundations for his research.

Areas of Expertise

• Attention deficits following TBI, including: their neuropathologic substrate; information processing, functional imaging, and naturalistic methods of assessment; their interrelationship with executive systems; and approaches to treatment
• Recovery from prolonged unconsciousness (the vegetative and minimally conscious states), including: predictors of recovery of consciousness; ethical and family coping issues; and studies of treatment intervention
• Research methodology, including: special methodologic challenges inherent in rehabilitation research; applications of single subject experimental design; and the role of treatment theory in shaping rigorous clinical efficacy studies
• Research career development

Programs of Research

• The use of fMRI methods to understand the nature of TBI-related attention deficits and the effects of psychoactive drugs on attention networks and performance in TBI
• Assessment and treatment of attention deficits in lower level patients with TBI who cannot participate in formal testing or functional imaging
• Improving assessment and treatment for vegetative and minimally conscious patients

Publications

• Whyte J: Toward a methodology for rehabilitation research. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 73:428-435, 1994 PMID 7993617
• Whyte J, Polansky M, Cavallucci C, Fleming M, Lhulier J, Coslett HB: Inattentive behavior after traumatic brain injury. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 2:274-281, 1996 PMID 9375175
• Whyte J, Fleming M, Polansky M, Cavallucci C, Coslett HB: Phasic arousal in response to auditory warnings after traumatic brain injury. Neuropsychologia 35(3):313-324, 1997 PMID 9051679
• McDowell SK, Whyte J, D'Esposito M: Working memory impairments in traumatic brain injury: evidence from a dual-task paradigm. Neuropsychologia 35(10):1341-1353, 1997 PMID 9347480
• Whyte J, Hart T, Schuster K, Fleming M, Polansky M, Coslett B: The effects of methylphenidate on attentional function after traumatic brain injury: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 76(6):440-450, 1997 PMID 9431261
• McDowell S, Whyte J, D'Esposito M: Differential effect of a dopaminergic agonist on prefrontal function in traumatic brain injury patients. Brain (121):1155-1164, 1998 PMID 9648550
• Whyte J, Schuster K, Polansky M, Adams J, Coslet HB: Frequency and duration of inattentive behavior after traumatic brain injury: effects of distraction, task and practice. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 6:1-11, 2000 PMID 10761362
• Whyte J: Building a program of outcomes research: Personal reflections. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 80:865-874, 2001 PMID 11805462
• Whyte J: Traumatic brain injury rehabilitation: Are there alternatives to randomized clinical trials? Commentary, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 83;1320-1322, 2002 PMID 12235618
• Whyte J, Hart T, Bode RK, Malec JF: The Moss attention rating scale (MARS) for traumatic brain injury: Initial psychometric assessment. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 84(2):268-276, 2003 PMID 12601660
• Whyte J, Hart T. It's more than a black box; it’s a Russian doll: Defining rehabilitation treatments. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 82(8):639-652, 2003 PMID 12872021
• Whyte J: Clinical trials in rehabilitation: what are the obstacles? American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 82(10 Suppl):S16-S21, 2003 PMID 14502034
• Whyte J, Hart T, Vaccaro M, Grieb-Neff P, Risser A, Polansky M, Coslett HB: The effects of methylphenidate on attention deficits after traumatic brain injury: A multi-dimensional randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 83(6):401-420, 2004 PMID 15166683
• Whyte J, Katz D, Long D, DiPasquale MC, Polansky M, Kalmar K, Giacino J, Childs N, Mercer W, Novak P, Maurer P, Eifert B: Predictors of outcome and effect of psychoactive medications in prolonged posttraumatic disorders of consciousness: A multicenter study. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86;(3):453-462, 2005 PMID 15759228
• Hart T, Whyte J, Kim J, Vaccaro M: Executive function and self-awareness of "Real-world" behavior and attention deficits following traumatic brain injury. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 20;(4):333-347, 2005 PMID 16030440
• Kim J, Whyte J, Hart T, Vaccaro M, Polansky M, Coslett HB: Executive function as a predictor of inattentive behavior after traumatic brain injury. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 11;434-445, 2005 PMID 16209424
• Whyte J: Training and retention of rehabilitation researchers. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 84:969-975, 2005 PMID 16327413
• Whyte J: Using treatment theory to refine the designs of brain injury rehabilitation treatment effectiveness studies. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 21;2:99-106, 2006 PMID 16569984
• Whyte J: Assessing medical rehabilitation practices: Distinctive methodologic challenges. In Fuhrer MJ (ed.), The Promise of Outcomes Research, Baltimore: Brookes, (2):43-59, 1997
• Hart T, Whyte J, Millis S, Bode R, Malec J, Richardson RN, Hammond F: Dimensions of disordered attention in traumatic brain injury: further validation of the Moss Attention Rating scale. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 87:647-655, 2006 PMID 16635627
• Whyte J, Grieb-Neff P, Gantz C, Polansky M: Measuring sustained attention after traumatic brain injury: Differences in key findings from the sustained attention to response task (SART). Neuropsychologia, 44;10: 2007-2014, 2006 PMID 16682059
• Whyte J: Treatments to enhance recovery from the vegetative and minimally conscious states: Ethical issues surrounding efficacy studies. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86;2:86-92, 2007 PMID 17251691
• Martin RT, Whyte J: The effects of methylphenidate on command following and yes/no communication in persons with severe disorders of consciousness: a meta-analysis of n-of-1 studies. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86;8:613-620, 2007 PMID 17667191
• Whyte J, Vaccaro M, Grieb-Neff P, Polansky M, Coslett HB: The effects of bromocriptine on attention deficits after traumatic brain injury: A Placebo-controlled pilot study. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 87;2:85-99, 2008 PMID 18209510
• Whyte J: A grand unified theory of rehabilitation (We Wish!)". The 57th John Stanley Coulter Memorial Lecture. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 89;2:203-209, 2008 PMID 18226642