Grant: Project Grant

A prominent health issues facing Canadians is the impact of concussion on working aged adults. The effect of mild brain insult on one's functional abilities is not well understood. Our research has documented that "cognitive-motor integration" (CMI), or tasks which rely on rules to plan a movement, is impaired following concussion. The ability to think and act simultaneously is something crucial for safe performance at work, in the sport arena, and in activities of daily living. Our work has produced an effective assessment tool which sensitively detects functional impairment in working-aged adults at risk for dementia, and youth recovering from concussion. We have also demonstrated the neural underpinnings to this functional impairment. Separately, we have documented that different types of skilled movements are processed in separate brain networks, networks that are not the same for females and males. The goals of the present research are twofold. First, we will extend our CMI assessment research to middle-aged adults, a group not studied to date yet one in which individuals may have both concussion history and a known dementia risk. Second, we will characterize sex- and age-related differences in CMI in working aged adults, a time that spans nearly 50 years and passes into the post-menopausal age for women. Our methodological approaches will include integrated sensory, motor, and cognitive behavioural assessment as well as a neurophysiological (MRI) and hormonal measures. On a fundamental level, this project will provide a basic understanding of how our brains process rule- based information to make accurate movements in our everyday lives. Clinically, this research will provide insight into the effects of brain injury on rule-based movement control, particularly in those who are experiencing extended recovery times, and characterize sex and age-related differences in this functional behaviour.