Kessler Foundation researcher receives grant to identify treatments for cognitive deficits in people with SCI

The three-year federal grant will fund research to identify treatments for cognitive difficulties in persons with spinal cord injury.

Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, of Kessler Foundation is the principal investigator of a Field-Initiated Program award from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). The nearly $600,000 grant will fund her three-year project, entitled "Treating Cognitive Deficits in Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): A Randomized Clinical Trial", which seeks to improve the everyday functioning and quality of life for people with SCI.

Individuals with SCI appear to have not only deficits in learning and memory, but also a deficit in processing speed. "Research has shown that even mild cognitive deficits lead to depression, anxiety, decreased participation in society, increased unemployment, and decreased quality of life," says Dr. Chiaravalloti, director of Neuropsychology, Neuroscience & Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Research at Kessler Foundation, and project director of the Northern New Jersey TBI System (NNJTBIS).

"That's a huge impact," says Dr. Chiaravalloti. "So it's imperative that we identify effective treatments for these deficits." Through the research, she plans to develop two highly structured, manualized treatment protocols with demonstrated efficacy in treating cognition in persons with SCI. "Cognition is central to who we are and what we do with our lives," adds Dr. Chiaravalloti. "This is a line of work that we intend to pursue vigorously."