Improving brain health in brain injury survivors through partner-oriented research: Can cognitive training increase brain neurotrophins, reduce inflammation, and improve cognitive performance?

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects many Canadians and can lead to long-term cognitive deficits affecting an individual’s quality of life. Access to effective rehabilitation is often limited as current therapies can be costly or inaccessible. This project will evaluate a cognitive training program (NeuroTracker) that involves 3-dimensional multiple object tracking (3D-MOT). The program strengthens attention and multitasking by tracking objects in 3D space. In a patient-oriented pilot study with the Victoria Brain Injury Society (VBIS), people with moderate-to-severe TBI (msTBI) reported better concentration, reduced stress, and improved daily functioning after using 3D-MOT and noted feasibility of the program. Expanding on our pilot work, we continue to partner with VBIS and patient-partners to improve the program and its implementation. We will determine if 3D-MOT is an efficacious rehabilitation tool that can improve recovery for those with msTBI. We will evaluate the 3D-MOT intervention using a randomized controlled trial in adults with msTBI. Participants will report patient-reported outcomes, perform cognitive testing and provide saliva and blood samples to measure changes in markers of TBI before and after program use.