INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 05 Program Schedule 02/15/2024 02:30 pm - 03:45 pm Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120) Poster Session 05: Neuropsychiatry \| Addiction/Dependence \| Stress/Coping \| Emotional/Social Processes Final Abstract #65 Impact of Computerized Auditory Information Processing Remediation Training on Cortical Thickness in Adults with Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury Yating Lei, Department of Occupational Therapy, Steinhardt School, New York University (NYU), New York City, United States Hannah Lindsey, Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center, Department of Neurology, University of Utah, and Department of Psychology, New York University., Salt Lake City, United States Joseph Rath, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health, New York City, United States Tamara Bushnik, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health, New York City, United States Steven Flanagan, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health, New York City, United States Gerald Voelbel, Department of Occupational Therapy and Center of Health and Rehabilitation Research, New York University, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health, New York City, United States Category: Cognitive Intervention/Rehabilitation Keyword 1: traumatic brain injury Keyword 2: neuroimaging: structural Keyword 3: brain plasticity Objective: Computerized Cognitive Remediation Training has shown promise in improving cognitive outcomes, but the underlying neural changes, particularly cortical thickness, remain underexplored in the chronic Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) population. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate changes in cortical thickness following a Computerized Auditory Information Processing Training program for adults with a chronic TBI. Participants and Methods: The study involved 19 adults with a chronic TBI, quasi-randomly assigned into an experimental group (n=11) and a control group (n=8). The majority of participants had severe TBI (63.2%) and were predominantly Caucasian (63.2%). The average age was 42.63 (SD = 11.0) years, and the average time since injury was 124.58 (SD = 146.1) months. Participants in both groups were similar in terms of injury severity and demographic characteristics, allowing for a balanced comparison of the training effects. In this 14-week interventional study, the experimental group underwent one-hour training sessions three times a week for a total of 40 training sessions of the Brain Fitness Program. The training was adaptive in difficulty to maintain an 85% correct response rate, minimizing ceiling effects. Participants used noise-canceling headphones. The control group received no intervention but was contacted once a week to record cognitive enriching activity. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data were acquired at two distinct time points: at baseline, prior to the training, and one week post-intervention. Cortical surface reconstruction and subsequent data extraction were conducted using FreeSurfer software (Version 7.1.1). To quantify alterations in cortical thickness, a group-wise Multiple Linear Regression model was employed. This model accounted for changes in cortical thickness (calculated as post-intervention cortical thickness minus baseline cortical thickness), while controlling for baseline cortical thickness, as well as software utilized for data acquisition. Results: While none of the results remained statistically significant after False Discovery Rate (FDR) correction due to the small sample size, the intervention group displayed noteworthy post-intervention changes in cortical thickness across multiple brain regions. Only regions with large effect size differences are reported. Specifically, large effect sizes were evident in the Left Fusiform Gyrus, Left Pars Opercularis, Left Caudal Anterior Cingulate Cortex, Left Insular Cortex, Left Entorhinal Cortex, Left Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex, and Left Isthmus of the Cingulate Cortex (f²ranged from 0.36 to 0.89). Conclusions: Preliminary findings indicate that the Brain Fitness Program induces structural neuroplasticity in adults with a chronic TBI, as evidenced by changes in cortical thickness in regions associated with auditory and visual processing, attention, and executive function. These results contribute to growing evidence for the potential of neural reorganization in chronic TBI populations. However, one limitation of this study is the small sample size, which calls for further research with larger sample sizes to confirm these effects and to explore the intricate relationship between behavioral cognitive improvements and alterations in cortical thickness.

Poster

02/15/2024
02:30 pm - 03:45 pm
Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120)

Poster Session 05: Neuropsychiatry | Addiction/Dependence | Stress/Coping | Emotional/Social Processes

Final Abstract #65

Impact of Computerized Auditory Information Processing Remediation Training on Cortical Thickness in Adults with Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury

Yating Lei, Department of Occupational Therapy, Steinhardt School, New York University (NYU), New York City, United States
Hannah Lindsey, Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center, Department of Neurology, University of Utah, and Department of Psychology, New York University., Salt Lake City, United States
Joseph Rath, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health, New York City, United States
Tamara Bushnik, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health, New York City, United States
Steven Flanagan, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health, New York City, United States
Gerald Voelbel, Department of Occupational Therapy and Center of Health and Rehabilitation Research, New York University, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health, New York City, United States

Category: Cognitive Intervention/Rehabilitation

Keyword 1: traumatic brain injury
Keyword 2: neuroimaging: structural
Keyword 3: brain plasticity

Objective:

Computerized Cognitive Remediation Training has shown promise in improving cognitive outcomes, but the underlying neural changes, particularly cortical thickness, remain underexplored in the chronic Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) population. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate changes in cortical thickness following a Computerized Auditory Information Processing Training program for adults with a chronic TBI.

Participants and Methods:

The study involved 19 adults with a chronic TBI, quasi-randomly assigned into an experimental group (n=11) and a control group (n=8). The majority of participants had severe TBI (63.2%) and were predominantly Caucasian (63.2%). The average age was 42.63 (SD = 11.0) years, and the average time since injury was 124.58 (SD = 146.1) months. Participants in both groups were similar in terms of injury severity and demographic characteristics, allowing for a balanced comparison of the training effects. In this 14-week interventional study, the experimental group underwent one-hour training sessions three times a week for a total of 40 training sessions of the Brain Fitness Program. The training was adaptive in difficulty to maintain an 85% correct response rate, minimizing ceiling effects. Participants used noise-canceling headphones. The control group received no intervention but was contacted once a week to record cognitive enriching activity. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data were acquired at two distinct time points: at baseline, prior to the training, and one week post-intervention. Cortical surface reconstruction and subsequent data extraction were conducted using FreeSurfer software (Version 7.1.1). To quantify alterations in cortical thickness, a group-wise Multiple Linear Regression model was employed. This model accounted for changes in cortical thickness (calculated as post-intervention cortical thickness minus baseline cortical thickness), while controlling for baseline cortical thickness, as well as software utilized for data acquisition.

Results:

While none of the results remained statistically significant after False Discovery Rate (FDR) correction due to the small sample size, the intervention group displayed noteworthy post-intervention changes in cortical thickness across multiple brain regions. Only regions with large effect size differences are reported. Specifically, large effect sizes were evident in the Left Fusiform Gyrus, Left Pars Opercularis, Left Caudal Anterior Cingulate Cortex, Left Insular Cortex, Left Entorhinal Cortex, Left Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex, and Left Isthmus of the Cingulate Cortex (f²ranged from 0.36 to 0.89).

Conclusions:

Preliminary findings indicate that the Brain Fitness Program induces structural neuroplasticity in adults with a chronic TBI, as evidenced by changes in cortical thickness in regions associated with auditory and visual processing, attention, and executive function. These results contribute to growing evidence for the potential of neural reorganization in chronic TBI populations. However, one limitation of this study is the small sample size, which calls for further research with larger sample sizes to confirm these effects and to explore the intricate relationship between behavioral cognitive improvements and alterations in cortical thickness.