Brain Rehabilitation

The Mayo Clinic Brain Rehabilitation and Research Programs are an acknowledged regional and national center of excellence in clinical practice, education, and research. Brain rehabilitation services are integrated into the Mayo Clinic Rochester practice across the continuum of care for cerebrovascular disease, neurosurgery, traumatic brain injuries, and all acquired disorders of brain function. The Brain Rehabilitation Consultation Service is integrated into the hospital neurological and surgical services; the Brain Rehabilitation Unit Service serves individuals who are admitted the Rehabilitation Unit for inpatient brain rehabilitation, and; the Brain Rehabilitation Clinic provides comprehensive coordinated trans-discipline outpatient brain rehabilitation services and programs managing post-acute and long-term needs during recovery.

The Mayo Clinic Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model System has sustained research funding from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, an agency of the US Department of Health, since 1998, now in its 3rd consecutive 5-year funding cycle. Mayo Clinic is one of 16 TBI Model Systems nation-wide, contributing to a large longitudinal database and collaborative TBI research. Please visit the Mayo Clinic TBI Model System for current activity.

Stroke rehabilitation research focusses on interventions to improve motor recovery, studying and predicting outcome. Epidemiological research involves the Rochester Epidemiology Project to study survival and cost after TBI.

Some of our current research includes:

• The Midwest Advocacy Project (MAP) is a community-based randomized practical behavioral trial studying the efficacy of providing programmed advocacy training to improve an individual’s advocacy skills. It is the first clinical trial of its kind to scientifically test the efficacy of advocacy training for individuals with TBI, their families and significant others in effective self and system advocacy skills to improve their health and that of their communities. The trial is underway in the capitol cities of Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin in collaboration with the state’s Brain Injury Associations.
• Sexuality after TBI, collaboration with TIRR, Houston, TX
• Post traumatic headaches, collaboration with University of Washington, Seattle, WA
• Environmental influences affecting outcomes after TBI, collaboration with Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
• Population-based long-term survival after TBI controlled for non-TBI injury
• Population-based study of health care costs after TBI controlled for non-TBI injury
• Secular trends of mortality after TBI
• Walking study for inpatient stroke rehabilitation: A multi-center randomized clinical trial
• Clinical Factors Associated with Quality of Life Following Stroke and Acute Rehabilitation
• Clinical Profiles That Predict Outcome after Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation

Local and collaborative research projects have resulted in 46 peer reviewed publications and nearly 150 national/international presentations.

A list of active protocols can be obtained by contacting the Brain Rehabilitation Research coordinator, Anne Moessner, RN, at 507-255-5109