This application proposes a four-year period of mentored research training. The candidate's training has been in the area of clinical neuropsychology and he seeks to apply his knowledge of brain-behavior principles and methods of assessment to the designing and completion of studies of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). It is his goal that the knowledge gained from research in this area will lead to future rehabilitation interventions. The candidate's primary short-term goals include the design, implementation, and management of a study of prospective memory (PM) deficits in children and adolescents (age at testing 12-18 years) with TBI under the mentorship of his primary mentor. His primary long-term goal is to become an independent researcher in conducting studies interfacing behavioral data and neuroimaging techniques (specifically fMRI) to improve the understanding of the mechanisms and sequelae of TBI. The candidate's primary mentor has extensive experience in the study of outcome in TBI and the neuroanatomical correlates of behavior, particularly in children and adolescents. One of the secondary mentors is a nationally recognized leader in PM research and another secondary mentor has a strong background in functional neuroimaging. The goal of working with these mentors is to form a collaborative relationship to foster future studies and greater understanding PM in normally-developed children and adolescents, and those with TBI. In addition to research training, the candidate has proposed formal course work and didactics in the areas of advanced statistical analysis, medical physics, neuroscience, rehabilitation, developmental neuroscience, and formal training in the design and implementation of fMRI experiments. He proposes attending a fMRI Training Workshop conducted at UCLA and will work closely with the secondary mentor and the UCLA brain imaging team to implement a fMRI study of PM in normal adolescents. This experience will be applied at Baylor College of Medicine under the supervision of the candidate's Advisory Committee (and consultation with the secondary mentor) where a study of PM will be conducted with children with TBI. The proposed research project has four primary aims.
The first aim i s to conduct a study investigating a rehabilitation strategy (manipulation of motivation varying degrees of working memory load) to overcome PM deficits in children with TBI.
The second aim will examine specific cognitive mechanisms (metamemory, working memory, intention superiority effect, and sustained attention) hypothesized to be involved in PM deficits following TBI.
The third aim will investigate the impact of PM deficits on everyday functioning as determined by parent and teacher reports.
The fourth aim i s to determine which cortical structures (specifically prefrontal cortex) are involved in PM functioning through the use of fMRI.
