Rewards Sensitivity After Brain Injury

Preserved Reward Sensitivity During Acute Rehabilitation Following Acquired Brain Injury

A study measuring rewards sensitivity in individuals with acquired brain injury at an acute rehabilitation level.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Acquired Brain Injury
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Type of reward presented

Detailed Description

Individuals in acute rehabilitation following acquired brain injury journal (ABI) and aged-matched, non-injured controls will be recruited for this study.

Testing sessions will take place in a private treatment room at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and required 45 minutes to complete. Upon entering the room, participants will be greeted, electrodes placed on the participant's fingers to record their electrodermal activity, and participants will provide demographic information. Participants will then be instructed about how to respond on the Cued Reinforcement Response Time task (CRRT, see description below), and complete the task on a laptop computer while their electrodermal activity is being recorded. In this task, they are instructed to respond as quickly and accurately as possible, and will be informed that they will receive a monetary reward based on their accuracy at the completion of the task. Finally, participants will complete 3 self-report measures: (1) explicit level of motivation was measured in a post-study survey which included two items from the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire, (SPSRQ); (2) Reward sensitivity was evaluated using the Reward Responsiveness Scale , and (3) depression was evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) survey. At the end of the session, the electrodes will be removed, and participants will be debriefed and provided their monetary reward

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 31
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
      • Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Individuals with ABI

  • Diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury or Stroke, based on their medical records
  • Age between 18-100
  • Able to follow directions in English (measured informally during screening)
  • Able to use at least one upper extremity (demonstrated by holding a pen)
  • Mild-moderate or lesser diagnosis in cognitive-communication area
  • Score of 25 or higher on the Orientation Log assessment
  • Able to consent for participation in study (identifies through chart review)
  • Capable of understanding and cooperating with the experimental procedures.

Healthy participants

• Age of 18 to 100 years old
• Ability to follow directions in English
• Ability to use at least one upper extremity.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals with ABI

  • Additional diagnosis of a neurological disorder other than ABI
  • Additional diagnosis of aphasia.
  • Having cognitive or behavioral impairments that preclude participation in the experimental procedures

Healthy Participants

• history of significant cerebrovascular or neurological disease including (but not limited to) meningitis, epilepsy and/or seizures, stroke, tumor, multiple sclerosis, meningitis, mental retardation, dementia.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Individuals with Acquired Brain Injury; Measuring the effect of three different types of rewards (one dollar, one penny, and no reward) on performance in a cognitive test.	Behavioral: Type of reward presented; Three different types of rewards were presented to both groups during the computerized task: one dollar, one penny, and no reward.
Other: Non-impaired controls; Measuring the effect of three different types of rewards (one dollar, one penny, and no reward) on performance in a cognitive test.	Behavioral: Type of reward presented; Three different types of rewards were presented to both groups during the computerized task: one dollar, one penny, and no reward.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Performance on a Cued Response Reaction Time Task, in each of the three rewards conditions (Dollar, Penny, No reward)	Accuracy (percentage of correct responses) in a Cued Response Reaction task	15 minutes
Performance on a Cued Response Reaction Time Task, in each of the three rewards conditions (Dollar, Penny, No reward)	Response time (time in milliseconds) in a Cued Response Reaction task	15 minutes
Electrodermal activity (EDA) before, during and after the Cued Response Reaction task	Number of skin conductance responses (SCRs) before, during and after the task	30 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Shira Cohen-Zimerman, PhD, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 21, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 20, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): March 20, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 11, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 18, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): July 19, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 19, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 18, 2024
• Last Verified: July 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Motivation; Electrodermal Activity; Acquired Brain Injury; Rewards Sensitivity
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Immune System Diseases; Craniocerebral Trauma; Trauma, Nervous System; Hypersensitivity; Brain Injuries; Wounds and Injuries
• Other Study ID Numbers: STU00213877

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No