Effects of Rapid-Resisted Exercise and Bright Light Therapy on Ambulatory Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury

Objectives: We will: 1) compare performance of healthy volunteers and ambulatory adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI) on a range of motor, neurobehavioral and brain imaging outcomes; and 2) evaluate effects of rapid, reciprocal arm and leg exercise with an elliptical trainer on high-level motor coordination and balance, and neurobehavioral and cognitive functioning in persons with TBI. Brain connectivity and changes in connectivity in response to intervention will be quantified. We hypothesize even highly functional adults with TBI will have poorer scores on all measures than controls; exercise will lead to significant improvements in motor performance and balance,and neurobehavioral and cognitive functioncompared to an equivalent length of time during which they were not participating in training. We further hypothesize that improvements in cortical connectivity and representation will relate directly to functional ones. Study Population: 80 adults (50 with TBI) will be recruited so that 20 with TBI and 20 healthy volunteers complete the study. Only the TBI group will receive intervention. Design: Healthy controls with have a single assessment that includes motor, neuropsychological and brain imaging tests. Participants with TBI will have 3 visits with the same motor, neuropsychological and brain imaging tests as the healthy controls. They will perform 2 months of fast elliptical training. Assessments will occur at 0, 2, and 4 months. The exercise device will be an elliptical trainer that exercises the legs and arms with the emphasis on maintaining a fast speed. Mild resistance will be provided initially and progressively increased once speed is optimized. The training will be performed in the home 5 days per week for 30 minutes. Outcome Measures: Performance on complex motor and balance tasks will be assessed with 3D motion capture \& EMG, the Smart Balance Measurement System and the High Level Mobility Assessment Tool (Hi-MAT). Primary outcomes are Hi-MAT score, reaction time during balance testing and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (Ham-D). Secondary outcomes will include measures of motor speed and reaction time, dual task performance, memory, anxiety, sleep quality, and responses to stress. Cortical connectivity will be quantified using resting state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), which evaluates white matter tracts. Cortical activation patterns during imagined walking will be quantified with fMRI.