Researchers found overlap in activity of anterior cingulate cortex indicating pattern of self-regulation triggered by cognitive fatigue. The study broadens understanding of disease entities associated with lower threshold for cognitive fatigue.
The employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 27.2% to 29.5% in August 2017, reflecting a prolonged stretch of gains. Transportation barriers can be overcome through targeted training programs and services, expanding access to employment and community activities.
Kessler researchers found that traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes cognitive fatigue by activating the caudate nucleus, a key brain region. This discovery has important implications for developing effective treatments.
Dr. John DeLuca has been awarded the Fred Foley Award for his outstanding contributions to advancing research in cognitive impairments in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). His work aims to improve quality of life by developing effective non-invasive treatments to minimize the effects of MS on cognitive performance.
The employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased by 5.7% to 29.7%, while the labor force participation rate rose 3.4% to 33.1%. This trend is attributed to integrated resources and strategies among stakeholders, including employers and government agencies.
A three-year AHA grant funds a multi-center study exploring the neural mechanism behind delirium and spatial neglect after right-hemisphere stroke. The research aims to develop novel attentional-behavioral therapies and diagnostic tools to reduce hospital morbidity and loss of independence.
The employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 28.1% in June 2016 to 29.8% in June 2017, up 6%. Labor force participation rates also rose, with people with disabilities outpacing those without disabilities.
Researchers will explore personal and environmental factors influencing functional independence and community participation among racial/ethnically diverse people with SCI. The three-year $392,000 grant aims to improve outcomes among underserved groups living with SCI.
Dr. Nancy Chiaravalloti was awarded the 2017 Mitchell Rosenthal Memorial lecturer for her contributions to cognitive rehabilitation research and successful mentorship of postdoctoral fellows.
John DeLuca, Ph.D., of Kessler Foundation has been awarded the Mentor-Based Postdoctoral Fellowship Award in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The five-year grant will support Kessler Foundation's postdoctoral fellowship training program and fund research on cognitive deficits in MS.
Kessler Foundation and Children's Specialized Hospital renew their three-year collaboration to improve mobility, cognition, and educational outcomes in children with disabilities, leveraging $3.4 million in funding.
Researchers aim to identify effective treatments for cognitive deficits in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. Dr. Chiaravalloti's project seeks to improve everyday functioning and quality of life for individuals with SCI.
Dr. Jeanne M. Zanca's three-year project aims to boost the quality of personal care assistance services for people with SCI. The online course will provide a foundation of knowledge about SCI, addressing unique care needs and improving communication between individuals with SCI and their caregivers.
Dr. Erica Weber at Kessler Foundation has received a $70,000 Merit Award to fund her research on strategies to improve prospective memory in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Her work aims to help people with TBI remember to perform tasks in the future using self-generation techniques.
The Kessler Foundation has been awarded a $2.3 million Spinal Cord Injury Model System (SCIMS) grant to support the Northern New Jersey SCI System. The grant will enable research into pharmacologic approaches to managing bladder dysfunction and improve care for respiratory complications.
Dr. Fyffe will compare care and benefits for service-related vs non-service-related spinal cord injuries in a three-year study funded by the Department of Defense Spinal Cord Injury Research Program. The research aims to optimize care for all veterans with SCI, improving health status and functional outcomes.
Dr. Silvana L. Costa has been awarded a Switzer Research Fellowship by NIDILRR to investigate processing speed deficits in Multiple Sclerosis. Her research aims to understand the complex interaction between sensorial, cognitive, and motor processes affected by MS.
Dr. Ekaterina Dobryakova of Kessler Foundation has received a $70,000 Switzer Research Fellowship to study the motivational influences on cognitive fatigue in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The study aims to explore whether rewards associated with performing a task can modulate cognitive fatigue in individuals with TBI.
Dr. Ekaterina Dobryakova will explore factors associated with disabling fatigue among individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) using a non-pharmacological intervention. The study aims to identify an endogenous factor that can alleviate cognitive fatigue, which would be a revolutionary development in MS rehabilitation.
A joint team from Kessler Foundation and NJIT is developing new applications for wearable robotic exoskeleton devices to improve mobility and enable safer, more independent functioning for people with spinal cord injuries, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and stroke. Researchers are also evaluating the efficacy of existing robots for resto...
Researchers found hyperconnectivity between fronto-parietal regions and less organized flow of information in individuals with chronic moderate to severe TBI compared to healthy controls. The study suggests a causal relationship between working memory tasks and brain injury.
New Jersey researchers used neuroimaging to investigate reading deficits in patients with subacute left hemispheric stroke. They found associations between phonological deficits and lesions in the anterior temporal lobe and mid-fusiform gyrus. This study may lead to targeted interventions for acquired reading deficits, benefiting indiv...
Researchers found that adding the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale to neuropsychological assessment provides valuable information about the behavioral consequences of TBI. The study suggests that addressing cognitive and behavioral symptoms after brain injury is crucial for improving outcomes, but more comprehensive assessments are needed.
Researchers found that people with MS who experienced neuro-ophthalmic symptoms, such as blurred vision and nystagmus, performed poorly on visual neuropsychological tasks like the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). This suggests that these individuals may have residual delays in visual processing speed.
A study published in Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation found that living in areas with greater mixed land use was associated with poorer perceived health among New Jersey residents with spinal cord injury. This contrasts with general population studies, which suggest benefits from more populated areas with mixed land use.
Stroke patients with spatial neglect are at higher risk of falls, have longer hospital stays, and are less likely to return home. The study found that screening for spatial neglect and early intervention can help mitigate these negative outcomes.
Researchers found that the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) can predict performance on daily living tasks. The study used Actual Reality technology to assess internet access and ordering tasks, showing poor BICAMS scores correlated with poor task performance.
A novel study measures working memory deficits and cognitive recovery in individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) using functional neuroimaging. Cognitive improvement is found to correspond with normalization of activation patterns on fMRI, suggesting a potential early biomarker for predicting recovery.
A randomized clinical trial found the modified Story Memory Technique to improve memory and everyday functioning in individuals with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. The study, published by Kessler Foundation, provides first Class I evidence for the efficacy of cognitive training in TBI.
A neuroimaging study will use diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI), enabling medical professionals to predict motor recovery and provide more accurate prognoses. The study aims to improve rehabilitation outcomes for individuals with incomplete SCI.
Processing speed is a common variable limiting activity and participation in people with MS, according to Kessler Foundation researchers. This finding suggests that improving processing speed through targeted interventions may help individuals with MS maintain daily activities and stay employed.
A pilot study found ramelteon increased total sleep time and improved cognition in individuals with traumatic brain injury. The medication, a melatonin-agonist, was well-tolerated and showed significant improvement in executive functioning and reaction time after three weeks of treatment.
A recent study published in Frontiers in Neurology found that poor sleep is a major factor in MS-related fatigue. The study, led by Dr. Lauren Strober, confirms that sleep disturbances account for up to 25% of the variance in fatigue among individuals with MS.
The study identified four non-modifiable factors - gender, age, race, and ethnicity - that influence the employment gap, with smaller gaps for women, individuals in their 20s and 60s, Asians, and Hispanics. Two modifiable factors, marital status and educational attainment, also contributed to reduced employment gaps.
Neurology researchers evaluated evidence-based tests for clinical cognitive assessment, recommending improvements to determine differential diagnoses and guide intervention. The study aims to enhance quality in cognitive assessment by providing insights on selecting tests for the Neurobehavioral Status Exam.
Researchers found that SSDI beneficiaries who enrolled in state vocational rehabilitation agency services achieved work milestones at a faster rate than those who did not. The study suggests that provision of these services may be a means of reducing the costs of SSDI and improving employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
Researchers will examine how emotional processing deficits in MS are associated with social functioning across three levels. People with MS face difficulties recognizing universal emotions, leading to relationship issues and social isolation.
A new study published in Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation found that traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients who underwent cognitive rehabilitation showed significant changes in cerebral activation. The modified Story Memory Technique (mSMT), a 10-session memory retraining protocol, demonstrated consistent results with prior researc...
Researchers at Kessler Foundation received grants to investigate treatments for emotional processing deficits, balance dysfunction, and memory impairments in TBI patients. These studies aim to improve quality of life, independence, and community involvement for individuals affected by brain injury.
A subanalysis of the MEMREHAB trial found that deficits in processing speed negatively affect the benefits of the modified Story Memory Technique (mSMT) for individuals with MS. Processing speed may be an indicator of cognitive decline, which can impact the effectiveness of mSMT.
Researchers found a pattern of white matter damage and gray matter atrophy associated with facial affect recognition impairment in individuals with TBI. This deficit may impact social functioning, relationships, and daily life.
A study examining the use of Actual Reality in traumatic brain injury (TBI) found that individuals with TBI had difficulty performing internet-based tasks. The results suggest that Actual Reality is a potential tool for capturing the status of everyday functional activity in this population, supporting its use in clinical assessments.
The Kessler Foundation Neglect Assessment Process (KF-NAP) effectively assesses severity of spatial neglect during activities of daily living. Spatial neglect is a complication of stroke that contributes to poor rehabilitation outcomes.
Kessler Foundation researchers found that subjective and objective cognitive fatigue are independent factors, with increased time on task leading to higher levels of fatigue in MS individuals. Task length was the key factor associated with cognitive fatigue, supporting the Temporal Fatigue hypothesis.
A study by researchers from Kessler Foundation and Children's Specialized Hospital found that retrieval practice can improve memory in children and adolescents with TBI. This method was found to be the best learning strategy for each of the participants, improving learning and memory among this age group with TBI.
Stroke researchers found that patients with frontal lesions experienced greater improvement in spatial neglect after prism adaptation therapy. The study suggests that maintaining medial temporal structure integrity may support functional improvement in this subset of patients.
A study by Kessler Foundation researchers found that working memory capacity may mediate the relationship between cognitive reserve and long-term memory in individuals with moderate to severe TBI. Cognitive reserve theory suggests that higher intellectual enrichment can confer a protective effect on long-term memory.
The study aims to compare VR-based balance treatment with traditional methods for rehabilitating balance dysfunction after TBI. It will evaluate the effectiveness of customizing VR exercises based on individual ability levels and assess dual-task VR training for improving balance.
Dr. Peter Barrance will study the effects of in-shoe orthoses on individuals with osteoarthritis of the knee using weight-bearing MRI technology. The goal is to refine footwear modifications and reduce pain and mobility limitations associated with knee osteoarthritis.
Dr. Lauren Strober will update the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) to improve its use in clinical settings for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The updated test will more accurately assess processing speed changes over time, enabling better prediction of disease progression and outcomes.