Neuroimaging of Mechanisms Subserving Cognitive and Social Outcomes in Childhood TBI

 描述（由申请人提供）：克里斯汀罗宾逊博士的长期职业目标是成为一名有成就的临床科学家，其研究计划旨在早期识别儿童脑损伤后认知，社会和适应性疾病的风险最大的儿童。这个指导研究科学家发展奖（K 01）的建议概述了职业发展和研究计划，最终将导致博士罗宾逊成为一个成功的独立调查员在儿科神经心理学。罗宾逊博士将追求职业发展计划，重点是通过一系列指导研究经验，继续获得实现职业目标所需的技能。罗宾逊博士将获得尖端神经成像方法的强化培训，这些方法评估大脑通路和功能网络，对社会功能进行生态有效的“现实世界”评估，以及先进的多方法统计建模，以及行为神经学方面的指导。她将在一个熟练和成熟的导师和合作者团队的指导下完成她的培训，该团队具有广泛的专业知识和成功指导学员和初级教师作为独立的临床科学家取得成功。她将受益于最先进的神经成像设施和研究核心服务的广泛支持。她在获奖期间获得的新的研究和分析技能将提高她现有的能力，并建立在她在临床心理学，儿科神经心理学和社会神经科学的坚实基础上。该研究项目的长期目标是通过确定执行功能和社会认知缺陷的神经机制，并确定这些机制如何与社会行为，同伴关系和课堂社会适应相关联，来改善创伤性脑损伤（TBI）儿童的社会结果。该研究将涉及8至15岁的中度至重度TBI儿童（n=30）和骨科损伤儿童（OI; n=30）的对照组。研究方法将包括扩散张量成像、功能和连接成像，以及生态有效的学校评估，并将解决两个主要研究目标：a）确定TBI儿童相对于OI儿童执行和社会认知功能的神经基质的差异和相似性;以及B）探索TBI儿童与OI儿童之间的关联。 大脑结构、功能激活、社会功能和适应性结果。统计分析将评估各组大脑激活模式和白色物质完整性的相似性和差异，并评估这些大脑结构和功能完整性指标与社会行为、同伴关系和社会适应之间的关联 在教室里这些关系的评估是必要的，以告知干预措施的发展，以补救儿童创伤性脑损伤后面临的社会困难。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dr. Kristen Robinson's long-term career goal is to become an accomplished clinical scientist with a program of research aimed at the early identification of children most at risk for cognitive, social, and adaptive morbidities following childhood brain injury. This mentored research scientist development award (K01) proposal outlines career development and research plans that will ultimately lead to Dr. Robinson becoming a successful independent investigator in pediatric neuropsychology. Dr. Robinson will pursue a career development plan that focuses on the continued acquisition of skills necessary to obtain her career goals, through a set of mentored research experiences. Dr. Robinson will obtain intensive training in cutting-edge neuroimaging methods that assess brain pathways and functional networks, ecologically- valid "real-world" assessment of social functioning, and advanced multi-method statistical modeling, as well as instruction in aspects of behavioral neurology. She will complete her training under the mentorship of a skilled and established team of mentors and collaborators with extensive expertise and success in guiding trainees and junior faculty to successful careers as independent clinical scientists. She will benefit from state-of-the-art neuroimaging facilities and extensive support from research core services. The new research and analytical skills she acquires during the award period will enhance her existing abilities and build upon her strong foundation in clinical psychology, pediatric neuropsychology, and social neuroscience. The long-term objectives of the research project are to improve social outcomes for children following traumatic brain injury (TBI) by identifying the neural mechanisms that underlie executive function and social cognitive deficits and identifying how those mechanisms are associated with social behavior, peer relationships, and classroom social adjustment. The study will involve 8- to 15- year old children with moderate to severe TBI (n=30) and a comparison group of children with orthopedic injury (OI; n=30). Research methods will include diffusion tensor imaging, functional and connectivity imaging, as well as ecologically-valid school based assessment, and will address two main research aims: a) to identify differences and similarities in the neural substrates underlying executive and social- cognitive functioning in children with TBI relative to children with OI; and b) to explore associations among brain structure, functional activation, social functioning, and adaptive outcome. Statistical analyses will assess the similarities and differences in patterns of brain activation and white matter integrity across groups, and will assess the associations among these indicators of brain structural and functional integrity with social behavior, peer relationships, and social adjustment in the classroom. Assessment of these relationships is necessary to inform the development of interventions to remediate the social difficulties children face after TBI.