# Concussion and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Investigating the relationship between cognitive outcome, prescription stimulants, and functional MRI biomarkers in the ABCD study.

> **NIH NIH K23** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $189,516

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common cause of acquired neurological deficits in children. Mild TBI, or
concussion, is highly prevalent in adolescence, and is linked with short- and long-term cognitive deficits, chiefly
inattention. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is similarly prevalent in children and represents a
primary form of inattention that occurs even without a history of head injury. The phenotypic similarity between
primary ADHD vs long-term symptoms of inattention subsequent to concussion is both a diagnostic dilemma
and clinical window of opportunity into the mechanisms by which brain injury affects cognition. In line with this
framework, the goal of this K23 award is to provide the applicant with training necessary to identify distinct
signatures of brain activity in children with primary ADHD vs ADHD with a history of concussion, which will
motivate mechanism-specific treatments for these inattention symptoms. The proposed research leverages the
Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, which is the largest ever cohort of children with concussion
paired with detailed cognitive and functional MRI data, to achieve this goal. It capitalizes on the the superb
cognitive neuroscience and imaging expertise of the applicant's mentors and collaborators to achieve the
applicant’s short-term goals of training in cognitive assessment (Dr. Barch), TBI research (Dr. Brody), ADHD
research (Dr. Fair), task-based (stop signal, n-back) fMRI (Dr. Barch), resting state fMRI (Dr. Dosenbach), and
multivariate imaging statistics (Dr. Thompson). The proposed training will facilitate the applicant’s long-term
goal of becoming an independent physician-scientist in the field of cognitive neuroimaging. These training
goals will be advanced through the proposed research. First, the applicant will use multivariate fMRI methods
to detect distinct patterns of task-related brain activation (Aim 1a) and resting-state connectivity (1b) in children
with ADHD and a history of concussion, compared to controls and either condition alone. Then the applicant
will investigate the fMRI correlates of time since last concussion (Aim 2) using task-related and resting-state
fMRI. Finally, the applicant will perform exploratory analysis on the effects of prescription stimulant medications
on brain activity in these groups (Aim 3). Notably, the proposed methods and techniques can be extended to
answer many other outstanding questions about the intersection between neurological and cognitive disorders
in the ABCD and future imaging studies. With a research program that employs multiple converging techiques
to interrogate neural signatures related to concussion and its cognitive sequelae, the applicant will continue to
address research questions relevant to the NINDS throughout his independent career.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10448885
- **Project number:** 1K23NS123345-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Benjamin Paul Kay
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $189,516
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-04-01 → 2027-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10448885

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10448885, Concussion and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Investigating the relationship between cognitive outcome, prescription stimulants, and functional MRI biomarkers in the ABCD study. (1K23NS123345-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10448885. Licensed CC0.

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