Eye-tracking to understand cognition in Veterans with traumatic brain injury
Official title: Assessing Cognition with Eye-tracking in Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury (ACE-TBI)
Funded at VA San Diego Healthcare System · NIH-11186924 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will explore how eye movements relate to thinking skills in Veterans who have experienced traumatic brain injury to find faster, easier ways to gauge cognition.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA San Diego Healthcare System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2025 |
| Project end | September 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2027 |
| NIH project number | 1IK2BX007162-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11186924 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Veterans who have experienced traumatic brain injury and are willing to participate in eye-tracking assessments.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without TBI or those unwilling to undergo eye-tracking procedures may not benefit from this study.
What this research studies
This project looks at whether eye-tracking can serve as a quick, less burdensome way to monitor memory and attention in Veterans with TBI. By analyzing eye movements like saccades and smooth pursuit, it aims to identify biomarkers that reflect cognitive function. The study builds on existing cognitive tests but seeks to streamline assessment and reduce waits for neuropsychological evaluation. It is designed to account for factors such as fatigue, pain, and multilingual backgrounds that can affect traditional testing. The ultimate goal is to improve timing and accuracy of cognitive monitoring for Veterans with TBI.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive quicker and more objective cognitive assessments, leading to faster care decisions and targeted therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Eye-tracking has shown promise in reflecting cognitive functions in prior research, though its biomarker utility in TBI requires further validation.
Where this research is happening
-
VA San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dell, Kristine — VA San Diego Healthcare System
- Study coordinator: Dell, Kristine
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.