Overview
The goal of this study is to establish the feasibility of an intervention designed to improve memory in patients who have experienced a moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (m-sTBI) and to examine its effect on brain structures.
Description
The purpose of this study is to establish the feasibility of a novel intervention, and explore biomarker predictors of neurodegeneration and response to the proposed intervention. This 16 week intervention utilises allocentric spatial navigation tasks to improve memory and counteract hippocampal neurodegeneration. This intervention will be administered in combination with neuropsychological assessments, MR imaging, and the analysis of genomic variants at two time points; 7 months post-TBI and 12 months post-TBI.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- An acute care diagnosis of TBI as determined by a medical professional, indicated by:
- Post-traumatic amnesia duration of 24 hours or more, and/or lowest Glasgow Coma Scale score of < 13
- Positive clinical CT or MRI scan
- Aged 18 to 65
- Fluent in English
- Have the competency for fully informed consent by 6 months post-injury
- Have basic computer skills
- Have functional use of one upper extremity
- Have access to the internet
Exclusion Criteria:
- A neurological disorder other than TBI (e.g., stroke, dementia, tumor, neurodevelopmental disorder) impairing baseline awareness, cognition, or validity of follow-up and outcome assessment.
- A systemic condition (e.g., lupus, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis).
- Any contraindications to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- You are experiencing language impairments (i.e., aphasia) from your injury