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The Treble-Barna Lab for Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Research

The Treble-Barna Lab for Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Research

Understanding Factors Influencing Neurobehavioral Recovery From Pediatric TBI

Understanding Factors Influencing Neurobehavioral RecoveryUnder the leadership of Amery Treble-Barna, PhD, researchers of this lab aim to develop a comprehensive understanding of the multitude of factors that interact to influence neurobehavioral recovery from pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), and to use this information to improve patient outcomes.

TBI is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in childhood. The scientific evidence available to guide prognosis, management, and treatment is disproportionately low relative to TBI’s medical and societal burden. Children sustaining moderate to severe TBI often demonstrate neurobehavioral impairments that hamper their long-term functioning. Current prediction models, however, explain only about 35% of variance in these outcomes. Without the identification of additional factors influencing recovery, this unexplained heterogeneity will remain one of the most critical barriers to accurate prognostication and to the development of evidence-based treatments for the neurobehavioral consequences of pediatric TBI.

Working from biopsychosocial and precision medicine frameworks, the Treble-Barna Lab is studying the effects of a variety of factors influencing neurobehavioral recovery from pediatric TBI, including:

  • Developmental – age
  • Environmental – family, psychosocial adversity
  • Personal biological – genetic, epigenetic
  • Therapeutic – rehabilitation, neuropsychological evaluation

The lab aims to use this knowledge to improve individual prognostication, predict response to rehabilitation, and identify novel targets for treatment development.