Last week, Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine, in partnership with the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, was granted $2.1 million from a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a five-year study to research a particularly negative, life-long possible effect of a traumatic brain injury: an increase of negative thoughts and generalized anger. “Our… projects will study emotional self-awareness and the ability to reduce irritability and aggression through treatment,” said Dr. Hammond, who is the Chair of the IU School of Medicine Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and also the chief of medical affairs at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana. Ultimately, the purpose of this study goes beyond the determination of a link. “We hope to help patients and families better manage the effects of brain injury,” she continued.
With this funding, IU joins 15 other facilities, as part of the National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research’s (NIDILRR) Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems. Located in every section of the United States, “these centers serve as platforms for collaborative, multi-site research, including research on interventions using randomized controlled approaches.”
Beyond research, though, NIDILRR systems also focus on treatment. For example, “the objectives of the New York Traumatic Brain Injury Model System focus on improving the quality of life of persons with TBI through: 1] state-of-the-art clinical care, 2] innovative research and 3] multi-platform, extensive dissemination of research results and other information on TBI to consumers and professionals.” Specifically related to the most recent funding mentioned above, IU’s BRAIN (Brain Research in Aggression and Irritability Network) is, “a comprehensive model service delivery and research system serving individuals with TBI.”
