# Longitudinal Assessment of Driving After Mild TBI in Teens

> **NIH NIH R01** · RESEARCH INST NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSP · 2022 · $598,432

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Returning to drive after an mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is an immediate goal for many individuals as they
return to their daily activities. However, evidence-based guidance about when those with mTBI can safely
return to drive is lacking. While an mTBI can lead to significant cognitive and functional impairments, little is
known about how mTBI affects driving, especially among teen drivers who are at an increased risk of both
mTBI and motor vehicle collisions compared to other age groups. The long-term goal of this research is to
evaluate the effects of mTBI on teen's driving performance and inform clinical practice guidelines on when
teens can safely return to drive post-mTBI and under what conditions. We will test the following specific aims:
Aim1: Characterize the trajectory of driving from acutely post-injury to symptom resolution among teen drivers
with mTBI compared to healthy controls. Aim 2: Examine the effect of cognitive load on driving performance
from acutely post-injury to symptom resolution in teen drivers with mTBI compared to healthy controls. Aim 3:
Examine the extent to which differences in driving performance between teen drivers with and without mTBI,
especially under increased cognitive load, are mediated by acute post-injury neurocognitive function.
We will enroll 200 teen drivers ages 16-19 years from two study sites to increase racial, geographic, and
socioeconomic diversity. Participants will include 100 teen drivers (50 per site) with a physician-confirmed
isolated mTBI and 100 (50 per site) healthy controls with no history of TBI matched for age, sex, driving
experience, and athlete status. Primary driving outcomes will be assessed using two innovative,
complementary approaches: 1) high-fidelity driving simulators will be used to assess driving performance
under 4 experimental study conditions at up to 9 time points: acutely post-injury (≤ 96 hours of injury) and then
weekly until symptom resolution or 8 weeks post-injury, whichever occurs first; 2) self-report surveys of real-
world driving behaviors will be completed by all participants daily. This is the first study to longitudinally
evaluate teen driving after mTBI from acutely post-injury to symptom resolution. The study will fill critical gaps
by providing evidence on how increased cognitive load and underlying neurocognitive function post-injury may
impact driving performance. Our results will have a significant impact on clinical practice and guidelines by
providing evidence to inform the development of clinical return to drive guidelines, and to help healthcare
providers make informed clinical recommendations regarding when a teen can safely return to drive after
mTBI.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10470293
- **Project number:** 5R01HD098175-03
- **Recipient organization:** RESEARCH INST NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSP
- **Principal Investigator:** Despina Stavrinos
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $598,432
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-11 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10470293

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10470293, Longitudinal Assessment of Driving After Mild TBI in Teens (5R01HD098175-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10470293. Licensed CC0.

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