# Improving Measurement and Treatment of Post-stroke Neglect

> **NIH VA IK2** · RALPH H JOHNSON VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · —

## Abstract

This CDA-2 candidate, Emily Grattan, is an occupational therapist and Post-Doctoral Scholar at
the Medical University of South Carolina. Her intention is to become a VA RR&D investigator at
the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC, Charleston SC. Dr. Grattan's short term goals are to develop
advanced skills and knowledge in assessment of neglect, latent trait analyses, and non-invasive
brain stimulation as well as enhance her grant writing skills and advance her professional
development. Her long term goal is to become an independent investigator with a research focus
on neglect rehabilitation and to improve the outcomes of individuals with neglect post stroke. Dr.
Grattan has 5.5 years of clinical experience and has considerable research experience having
worked on 10 different rehabilitation studies (9 stroke studies, 1 spinal cord study) during her
doctoral and post-doctoral training. Her extensive clinical experience and strong doctoral and
post-doctoral research training have provided a solid foundation of skills and knowledge. The next
step towards becoming an independent VA research scientist requires advanced training and
mentoring. To that end, Dr. Grattan has chosen a team of VA mentors with expertise in stroke
rehabilitation research (Dr. Woodbury), latent trait analyses (Dr. Velozo), grant writing (Dr. Kautz),
and non-invasive brain stimulation (Dr. George) who are uniquely qualified to advise the nominee.
Dr. Grattan will conduct the proposed research in an ideal environment since she will have access
to the Center for Rehabilitation Research in Neurological Disorders (CRRND), a state of the art
research facility jointly funded by the VA and the University affiliate, which houses 4 rehabilitation
research laboratories and includes a multidisciplinary staff of investigators and staff.
The proposed project is designed to establish a valid assessment of post-stroke neglect that can
immediately be used to advance the care of Veterans with stroke. Without precise and
functionally-relevant measurement tools, rehabilitation therapists cannot accurately identify
individuals with neglect, establish personalized rehabilitation treatment goals/plans, or monitor
response to intervention. We will achieve our aims by examining the measurement properties of
the items from three commonly used behavioral assessments (Catherine Bergego Scale,
Behavioral Inattention Test behavioral subtests, and the Naturalistic Action Test) of neglect in
individuals with stroke to define item sets that measure neglect and create forms that link the
clinical assessment to a treatment plan personalized to the patient. We will also examine the
preliminary effects of an innovative intervention (repetitive task-specific practice + transcranial
direct current stimulation) for individuals with neglect. This project is significant because it will
inform our understanding of the most effective methods to measure neglect, establish a tool to be
utilized to assist in goal planning, and help to...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9716401
- **Project number:** 5IK2RX002420-02
- **Recipient organization:** RALPH H JOHNSON VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Emily Grattan
- **Activity code:** IK2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-06-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9716401

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9716401, Improving Measurement and Treatment of Post-stroke Neglect (5IK2RX002420-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9716401. Licensed CC0.

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