Midwest Regional TBI Model System Projects

Traumatic Brain Injury Acupuncture and Insomnia Study

Insomnia is often cited as a common complaint following a traumatic brain injury, yet many medications used to treat insomnia can have undesirable side effects. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating insomnia by enrolling participants suffering from insomnia to receive ten free acupuncture treatments by a Certified Medical Acupuncturist. All treatments are done while the participant is an inpatient at RIC.

National Traumatic Brain Injury Database

The TBI database is a federally funded study which seeks to examine the course of recovery and long-term outcomes for people who have suffered TBIs. Multiple rehabilitation sites around the country have been collecting information on thousands of participants for over 15 years for this database. Much of the information gathered comes from participants medical records, so participant involvement is minimal. Collected aggregate data is used to conduct research that contributes to evidence-based rehabilitation interventions which improve the lives of individuals with TBIs.

A virtual environment intervention for improving attention in TBI

Attention deficits are one of the most profound problems facing the traumatic brain injured individual. Evidence suggests that virtual reality and robotic technologies are capable of motivating patients, tracking progress and providing engaging experiences that can enhance today's standard of care. This study aims to evaluate a virtual reality/robotic clinical intervention on inpatients for improving attention and concentration in early stages of traumatic brain injury recovery. All treatments are done while the participant is an inpatient at RIC.

The people on the project are: Dr. James Patton (PI), Dr. Assaf Dvorkin, Dr. Felise Zollman, Dr. Eric Larson, Kathleen Beck, and Lindsay Davitt.