Dorian Rose, PT, PhD, research associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and clinical research scientist of the Brooks/UF-PHHP Research Collaboration, was awarded a $1.2 million grant funded by the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service. The four-year project named the “Brain Reactivity after Variable Exercise,” or the BRAVE study, will continue Dr. Rose’s work on a novel backward walking (BW) intervention by comparing two different doses of BW training for maximizing gains to forward and BW speed and dynamic balance post-stroke. Researchers will also assess brain activity via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after training interventions to determine if structural and functional brain measurements can predict degree of response to backward walking training. Recruitment for the study is projected to begin by fall of 2021.
In April, Dr. Rose co-authored a manuscript titled “Smartphone Application for measuring Community Participation in Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury” in OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health. This work was in collaboration with Kay Waid-Ebbs, PhD, BCBA-D, health science specialist at the Malcom Randall VAMC Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, and primary author, Pey-Shan Wen, PhD, MHS, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Georgia State University.
This manuscript describes the team’s research on the feasibility of a smartphone application to objectively measure community participation and to compare this app with a self-report questionnaire. Seven Veterans with blast-related mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) and five individuals without mTBI participated in this 6-week parallel observational study. Contrary to studies that state Veterans with mTBI overreport symptoms compared with objective measures, researchers did not find more discrepancies between self-report and the smartphone app in Veterans with mTBI compared to individuals without mTBI. Using a smartphone app to objectively assess outcome might overcome biases and limitations often found in self-report.