Enhancing OK-INBRE Research Partnerships with COBRE Programs in Oklahoma

University Of Oklahoma Hlth Sciences Ctr, Oklahoma City OK

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Multimodal Neuroimaging Assessment and Rehabilitation of Cognitive Impairment in Brain Tumor ABSTRACT Cognitive impairment is highly prevalent in up to 90% of patients with brain tumor at varying pre- or post- surgery points in the disease course. Surgical resection can alleviate some of these neurocognitive symptoms, but can also cause additional symptoms if critical brain regions or pathways are damaged during surgery. Moreover, cognitive impairment is not only seen in brain tumor, but also in many other cancer types and even as a common adverse outcome in chemo-therapy treatment. Currently, there are no clear guidelines on how to rehabilitate these patients with cognitive impairment. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a well-established rehabilitation technique in motor and language recovery, and more recently a promising technique for cognitive function, especially in combination with brain imaging. The long-term goal of the project is to establish the mechanism and rehabilitation pathway of cognitive impairment in patients with brain tumor. This proposal for a collaborative Administrative Supplement assembles a research team of OK-INBRE investigator Dr. Nesreen Alsbou at University of Central Oklahoma and COBRE P20GM135009 research project leader Dr. Han Yuan at The University of Oklahoma, which is aligned with OK-INBRE goals by providing support for these early-stage investigators to build on a nascent collaboration that is in its early stages. To ultimately enable a TMS-based cognitive rehibition technique, the current project will establish a perturbation-based imaging protocol based on the novel multimodal system of concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation and functional near-infrared spectroscopy made available via previous COBRE and INBRE support, and extend the research domain to the eminent issue of cognitive function in brain tumor that is beyond the already establish rehabilitation pathways regarding motor or language functions. Especially, developing this supplement collaborative project can mutually benefit the INBRE and COBRE investigators by sharing novel research ideas and imaging tools in two complimentary aims. In Aim 1, the research team will establish the novel multimodal imaging protocol and determine the signal response associated with the enhanced cognitive performance. In Aim 2, a novel algorithm for reconstruction-based motion correction will be developed, which will have the potentials to transform the signal-to-noise ratio. If successful, this supplement collaborative project will open new opportunity to assemble the existing and complimentary research resources to empower novel research ideas, which can ultimately improve patient outcome in brain tumor and other cancers and also will provide more research opportunities to the undergraduate students in both University of Oklahoma and University of Central Oklahoma.