Month: September 2022

Ataxia is a disabling neurological condition of impaired movement coordination that can result from damage to a structure in the brain called the cerebellum. Individuals with Ataxia have trouble controlling their balance when standing. They also have difficulty walking, coordinating reaching movements with their arms, speaking, and controlling the movement of their eyes.

MRRI Institute Scientist and Sensorimotor Learning Lab Director, Amanda Therrien, PhD, studies cerebellar Ataxia. Her research uses a combination of behavioral and computational methods to improve our understanding of the neural mechanisms through which the cerebellum contributes to movement control. Dr. Therrien uses this knowledge to develop new movement training techniques aimed at improving rehabilitation for individuals with this disorder.

Cerebellar Ataxia is a component of many neurological disorders – e.g., multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, congenital brain malformations, and paraneoplastic conditions triggered by an abnormal immune system response to cancerous tumors. Dr. Therrien’s work focuses on a host of genetic conditions, called Spinocerebellar Ataxias (SCAs), that cause a progressive degeneration of the cerebellum. While SCAs run in families, sporadic gene mutations can cause other genetic conditions that lead to cerebellar degeneration without a family history. The National Ataxia Foundation estimates that, in the United States alone, 15,000 – 20,000 people have SCAs, and that tens of thousands more are affected by recessive and sporadic forms of Ataxia.

Each year, International Ataxia Awareness Day is observed on September 25^th. This week, Dr. Therrien and others at MRRI are proud to continue raising public awareness and support for Ataxia. On Saturday October 1^st, Dr. Therrien will represent MRRI at the 2022 Central PA Walk n’ Roll to Cure Ataxia. You can donate to the cause here. You are also invited to join us at 10:00 am on Saturday, October 1^st at the Lions Pavilion in Kerr Park, Downingtown, PA to participate in the event! Through Walk n’ Roll events across the country, over $3,000,000 has been raised to support the National Ataxia Foundation’s mission to accelerate the development of treatments and improve the lives of people living with Ataxia.

To get involved or learn more about Ataxia research at MRRI you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook. You can also learn more about Dr. Therrien and the Sensorimotor Learning Laboratory on our website.

After brain injury, patients may experience disorders of consciousness (DOC) ranging from a decreased awareness of their surroundings to complete unconsciousness in a coma. John Whyte, MD, PhD, has made important contributions to our understanding and treatment of patients with disorders of consciousness through his research at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI). Dr. Whyte is an Institute Scientist Emeritus and the former Director of MRRI, and his research on DOC has helped improve clinical care for patients with DOC. He was featured in a recent article from MIT Technology Review exploring what we know about the capabilities and the limits of minimally conscious brains.

You can read the full article here.

Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI) is proud to provide outstanding mentorship and an excellent training environment for postdoctoral fellows from the U.S. and around the world. Solene Kalenine, PhD, PsyD, is one former MRRI postdoc who has gone on to a successful independent research career. She trained at MRRI from 2009 to 2011 under the supervision of Laurel Buxbaum, PsyD. Dr. Kalenine shares more about her research and her career in this interview.

Can you tell us more about your current position and what you are doing now?

I am a researcher employed by the CNRS, the French National Center for Scientific Research. I work at SCALab in Lille (France), which is a research institute for Cognitive and Affective Sciences gathering professors from Lille University and researchers from the CNRS.

What are your research interests?

My main research interest concerns the relationships between the perception and representation of objects and actions. How do we perceive objects and how do the motor properties of objects influence the way they are processed and represented? How are our actions represented? Does action experience influence acquisition and retrieval of knowledge about objects (name, category, function)? How can action and semantics benefit from each other, especially when one domain is impaired (such as in apraxia, semantic dementia)? As such, my interests encompass several main research areas of cognition, including visual perception, action, and semantic knowledge.

Can you tell us more about the impacts or potential impacts of your research?

I believe that studying the interconnections between different cognitive functions is really important for rehabilitation and lifespan development. Acquisition/rehabilitation in a particular cognitive domain may be boosted by more developed/preserved cognitive abilities. For example, we have identified that patients with semantic dementia tend to show relatively preserved semantic processing when the semantic knowledge involved is more closely linked to action. We are also investigating how enhancing object motor properties may help children learn new words.

What attracted you to science and the field of cognitive psychology?

In school, I was very attracted to “hard” science on the one hand and humanities on the other hand. For me, cognitive psychology is the perfect combination of both: a very rigorous and scientific approach to studying human mind and behavior.

Why did you choose to work as a postdoctoral fellow at MRRI?

I did my PhD thesis on the development of semantic categories, and I was getting more and more interested in the role of sensorimotor experience in conceptual knowledge. Therefore, I wanted to develop my expertise in the research field of action. Moreover, I had lost contact with my clinical background (I had a PsyD in neuropsychology before my doing my PhD) and hoped to reconcile fundamental and clinical research in my work. The Cognition and Action Laboratory at MRRI was thus the ideal fit for me.

What was it like working in the Cognition and Action Laboratory at MRRI?

People were very nice and welcoming. There were many interactions between us, and the environment was highly stimulating. In particular, I appreciated the regular meetings and seminars where I had the opportunity to learn a lot from expert researchers and clinicians.

Is there something you learned at MRRI that has helped you in your current endeavors?

I learned many things! I think MMRI is a great place to comprehend the whole spectrum of scientific research in cognitive psychology, from theoretical models to clinical rehabilitation. At MRRI, I was encouraged to get an overview first before starting to investigate a new research issue. I also learned to replace the word “problem” with the word “challenge”, and this change in perspective actually makes a major difference in my life!

What is one of your favorite memories from your time working at MRRI?

I really appreciated the scientific exchanges during the different meetings I had the opportunity to attend. I particularly remember amazing clinical seminars during which a neurologist presented the case of a patient, demonstrating their difficulties and preserved abilities and explaining the cognitive processes involved in front a mixed audience composed of clinicians, researchers, and members of the patient’s family.

Can you tell us more about your long-term career plans or goals?

I wish to continue doing research in cognitive psychology for as long as I can! And hopefully, I will be able to return to the U.S. and more particularly to MRRI at some point of my career as a visiting scholar. I am keeping an eye out for grants that could support this kind of travel opportunity. 😉

What are some of your personal interests or hobbies?

I come from the Alps so I definitely like hiking and outdoor activities. I also love traveling and discovering new countries and cultures. In addition, I enjoy reading, live music, and playing the piano when I have time.

MossRehab’s Drucker Brain Injury Program and Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI) are excited to celebrate the sixth renewal of their world-class Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model System. The continued recognition and support from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) are a tremendous achievement for the researchers and clinicians at Moss who are dedicated to pushing the limits to improve our scientific understanding and clinical treatment of TBI.

Classification as a Model System by NIDILRR requires excellence in treatment and research related to a particular disability. The MossRehab TBI Model System has been continuously funded since 1997, and with this most recent renewal, funding has been secured through 2027. Members of the MossRehab TBI Model System have continued to demonstrate exceptional clinical care, as well as research productivity, innovation, and knowledge dissemination in the field of TBI rehabilitation.

“Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute and MossRehab are delighted by the recent news of renewal of the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems of Care. This is a great achievement due to its highly competitive nature. More than three decades of uninterrupted participation in this program have allowed us to help continue to transform TBI care delivery for years to come,” remarked Alberto Esquenazi, MD, Chief Medical Officer of MossRehab. “Now as part of Jefferson, our collaborative team of researchers, clinicians, administrators, and other important stakeholders, including persons living with TBI, will continue to work together to improve the lives of those with brain injury,” he said.

The MossRehab TBI Model System includes patients with moderate to severe TBI, who receive inpatient rehabilitation care at MossRehab and acute care at one of four local Trauma Centers. These patients undergo long-term follow-up and they have various opportunities to participate in research studies led by MRRI researchers and teams within other TBI Model Systems across the nation. Regardless of whether patients elect to participate in research, outstanding clinical care is provided to patients at the Drucker Brain Injury Unit.

The MossRehab TBI Model System is led by Amanda Rabinowitz, PhD, and Tom Watanabe, MD. “Our continued involvement in the TBI Model System allows MossRehab and MRRI to remain at the forefront of research and knowledge translation that will shape the future of TBI care,” Dr. Rabinowitz noted, adding that “the funding and collaborative infrastructure will continue to support important local and multi-site research that would not otherwise be possible.”

Research supported by the TBI Model System funding recently includes longitudinal research in collaboration with other premier centers across the nation, and local research designed to improve TBI treatments and outcomes. For example, in the last cycle, the team examined a hybrid therapist-delivered and mobile health intervention to promote mental health in people living with chronic TBI. In the current cycle, they will evaluate a program using a similar hybrid approach to help people with chronic TBI reduce sedentary behavior and become more physically active. In recent collaborative efforts, the MossRehab TBI Model System has partnered with other TBI Model System facilities to study chronic pain after TBI, the impact on driving outcomes, and the effects of neighborhood characteristics on TBI outcomes.

In addition, consumer-facing activities include an Advisory Council made up of treatment staff, former patients and members of their families, and community members who are helping to improve clinical services, research efforts, and educational/outreach activities. The MossRehab Model System will also hold conferences in collaboration with other rehabilitation facilities and the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania for people with brain injury, their families, and professionals in the field. Further, the team looks forward to partnering with the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania in this new funding cycle to develop clinical guidelines for providing telehealth to persons with moderate to severe TBI, and expanding their outreach to historically underserved populations.

“The competitive renewal of the TBI Model System of Care is a testament to the leadership of Dr. Rabinowitz at MRRI and Dr. Watanabe at MossRehab,” noted Dylan Edwards, PhD, Director of MRRI. “The success is shared by former TBI Model System directors Dr. Tessa Hart and Dr. John Whyte, as well as an extensive team who have been working together to continue advancing the field to improve the lives of those with brain injury,” he continued.

Through the MossRehab TBI Model System, MRRI scientists and MossRehab clinicians will continue to work together to advance the standard of care for treating TBI and improve the outcomes for patients.