Research

Mayo Clinic researchers collaborate with other academic centers across the nation to study brain injuries and perform clinical trials to help improve outcomes after brain injury surgery.

Brain rehabilitation researchers at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota are actively involved in clinical investigations to better understand:

  • How brain injury affects survival and life span
  • How cognitive rehabilitation can be provided in your home by telemedicine
  • How smartphone technology can help individuals with cognitive impairment independently use public transportation
  • How advanced technology can be used to improve balance and spatial awareness after stroke

Researchers also study stroke rehabilitation, long-term outcomes of traumatic brain injuries and many other areas of brain rehabilitation.

Traumatic Brain Injury Model System Center

The Mayo Clinic Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model System Research Program is one of 16 medical research programs in the United States involved in a research consortium funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

Mayo's TBI Model System Center Research Program studies new ways to improve outcomes for people with traumatic brain injuries. The program also contributes data to a large database that allows for collaborative research studies analyzing outcomes over the long term after TBI.

Projects

Researchers are assessing the course of long-term recovery and outcomes after a traumatic brain injury to develop and identify innovative services that most appropriately meet people's needs and allow them to reintegrate into their communities.

In collaboration with other model systems, Mayo Clinic has studied headaches and issues related to sexuality after TBI, sharing these research findings with brain injury rehabilitation programs across the country.

A first-of-its-kind study is being conducted to remotely connect individuals previously hospitalized for traumatic brain injury, their families and local experts in brain rehabilitation. This specialized brain rehabilitation project uses both traditional and customized information and communication technology.

The goal is to test how much a complex brain rehabilitation intervention delivered remotely improves participation outcomes and satisfaction compared with a matched group receiving the usual care in their communities.

Researchers are studying the use of telerehabilitation, a type of rehabilitation using phone and computer technology, for people who don't have access to rehabilitation treatment in their communities. Mayo Clinic researchers are studying the benefits of technology in providing cognitive rehabilitation in people with traumatic and nontraumatic brain injuries.

Learn more about the Traumatic Brain Injury Model System projects.

Publications

See a list of publications about brain injuries and brain rehabilitation by Mayo Clinic doctors on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.