Larry Blumenthal – Page 2 – Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI)

Dr. Rabinowitz to Study Causes of Depression in Brain Injury

Amanda Rabinowitz, PhD, director of the Brain Injury Neuropsychology Laboratory at the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI), has received funding to research depression in people who have sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI). Specifically, she and her team are hoping to understand whether depression or a lack of participation in one’s usual activities comes first—what Rabinowitz refers to as a “chicken-or-the-egg” problem.

The $93,000 grant was awarded by the National Institutes of Health.

“We know that people with TBI may not be able to participate in their regular activities and experience the sense of reward that comes from them,” says Dr. Rabinowitz. “And this may lead to depression. However, people who become depressed first may also disengage from their usual activities. So our question is which one of the mechanisms is causing the other?” Continue Reading

MRRI Testing Post-Concussion Smart Phone App

There are two major challenges in concussion management:

There is no way to identify which patients will experience persistent problems, and
No evidenced-based treatments are available for these patients.

Treatment development is hampered by the dearth of prognostic markers, hence the first problem contributes to the latter.

Amanda Rabinowitz, PhD, director of the Brain Injury Neuropsychology Laboratory at the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, is conducting a research study that uses mobile app technology to address this issue. Continue Reading

MRRI Receives $2.99 Million Award from NIH for Stroke Research

A research team led by Laurel Buxbaum, PsyD, associate director of Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI), has received a 5 year, $2.99 million funding award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study how the brain and mind organize actions for object use, and how this organization may be disrupted by stroke.

Dr. Buxbaum’s laboratory at MRRI has been studying object use for more than 20 years, and recently published the largest research study on apraxia and the particular brain lesions that cause object use disorder in stroke. Apraxia is associated with difficulties performing everyday tasks such as meal preparation and grooming, and is among the leading causes of disability in stroke, yet remains poorly understood. The research of Dr. Buxbaum and colleagues has shown that particular areas on the left side of the brain store memories of familiar object actions. Continue Reading

Research Assistant Opportunity

The Cognition and Action Lab at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI), directed by Laurel Buxbaum, PsyD, has an opening beginning fall 2016 or winter 2017 for a BA/BS-level research assistant.

The position involves assisting on an NIH-funded study of tool use action, and includes research on healthy and stroke populations using behavioral experiments, state-of-the art functional and structural neuroimaging, eyetracking, EEG, and TMS. Continue Reading

Postdoctoral Fellow Position Available

The Cognition and Action Laboratory at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI), directed by Laurel Buxbaum, PsyD, is inviting applications for a two-to-three year postdoctoral fellowship.

The postdoctoral fellow will work on an NIH-funded study of tool use and tool action knowledge, particularly focusing on action competition and selection, which includes research on healthy and stroke populations using behavioral experiments, functional and structural neuroimaging, eyetracking, EEG, and TMS. Grant collaborators include Ricarda Schubotz, Kara Federmeier, Branch Coslett, and Alex Martin. Continue Reading

Research Recruiter Position Available

Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute is seeking a research participant recruiter to join the MRRI Research Registry team. This individual will play a key role in advancing the mission of the MRRI Research Registry – providing recruitment infrastructure and support for MRRI research labs that study how stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI) impact cognition, behavior and movement.

The position involves screening stroke and TBI patients for eligibility to participate in the Research Registry using hospital charts and neuropsychological assessments; educating patients and families about research participation opportunities at MRRI; entry and updating of research participant information in an in-house database; working with other registry team members to optimize registry procedures and participant outreach. Continue Reading