This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
US DoD grant will study virtual technology for TBI in veterans
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The U.S. Department of Defense recently awarded a $2.7 million grant to Daniel Krawczyk, PhD, of the University of Texas at Dallas, to study a virtual technology platform to improve cognition and functioning among veterans with traumatic brain injuries.
“Those who experience a traumatic brain injury often struggle with working memory, planning and cognitive control, which impacts real-life functionality,” Krawczyk said in a press release. “Utilizing an innovative virtual-reality platform, we hope to improve cognitive difficulties in individuals with chronic TBI by training strategies to accomplish complex real-life tasks.”
Researchers will administer Expedition, a virtual reality platform from Virtual Heroes, among 100 veterans with TBI for 4 weeks. Participants will undergo structural and functional brain imaging and neuropsychological evaluations before and after training.
Virtual reality training will include real life scenarios, such as packing for a trip, selecting and remembering locations and money and time management..
“The unique design and approach of Expedition may also provide for quantifiable performance data throughout the intervention itself, not just the traditional ‘before’ and ‘after,’” Krawczyk said in the release. “The possibility of getting a peek inside the historic ‘black box’ of traumatic brain injury research may assist in the development of more effective or customizable interventions and more sensitive evaluation methods.”