This Mentored-Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award proposal contains didactic course work, mentored instruction and a clinical research project designed to apply the principles learned. The proposed training program and research study are designed to increase my knowledge and skills in the design, implementation and statistical analysis of cerebrovascular disease research, with the ultimate goal of developing into an independent clinical investigator. The specific goal of the proposed research is to study the cognitive and emotional effects, quality of life status, and socioeconomic costs associated with surgical clipping and endovascular coiling of unruptured intracranial aneurisms (lAs). Eighty adults undergoing repair of unruptured lAs (40 via surgical clipping and 40 via endovascular coiling) will be recruited for this study. All individuals will undergo a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery, along with patient and caregiver questionnaires. The measures will be administered to patients prior to treatment and at 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months following repair of the IA. A strength of this study is the inclusion of a controls group, undergoing the same evaluations at the same time points, to better characterize treatment-associated effects. This research is of great immediate importance, as unruptured lAs are present in millions of young, productive, working aged individuals. It is absolutely vital to obtain more definitive answers to questions regarding the extent and timeline of cognitive and affective impairments following repair of unruptured lAs in order to aid decision making, not only in terms of what procedure to utilize, but also in helping to weigh the benefits versus risks to determine whether to perform any procedure at all. ? ? ?
