Photo of Michelle Keightley

Michelle KeightleyAssistant Professor

Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
(416) 946-4004
michelle.keightley@utoronto.ca

Cross Appointments

  • Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science
  • Department of Psychology
  • Collaborative Program in Neuroscience

 

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Biosketch

Dr. Keightley received her B.Sc. (Hons.) in Psychology from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology, with the Collaborative Program in Neuroscience, from the University of Toronto. Dr. Keightley is a registered Clinical Neuropsychologist in the province of Ontario who provides clinical services to children and youth with sports-related mild traumatic brain injury, developmental disorders and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Her expertise in the field of FASD has been recognized at both the provincial and national level.

Her research program is focused on the identification, management and treatment of acquired brain injury (ABI) in pediatric populations. Current projects include a longitudinal investigation of children and youth who have sustained a sports-related concussion. The goals of this project are to better understand the cognitive, behavioural, emotional and neural implications of pediatric concussion and translate this improved understanding into guidelines regarding return to meaningful activity for this population. In addition, she is performing research to explore the use of expressive arts as a therapeutic tool to improve social and community integration in youth with acquired brain injury and FASD, including culturally relevant teachings for Aboriginal youth in northwestern Ontario and the inclusion of traditional Aboriginal healing approaches for improved long-term outcome following ABI.

Selected Recent Publications

  1. Fait, P., McFadyen, B.J., Zabjek, K., Reed, N., Taha, T., Keightley, M. (2011). Increasing task complexity decreases ice hockey skill performance in youth athletes. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 112(1), 29-43.
  2. Keightley, M.L., Green, S., Reed, N. Agnihotri, S., Wilkinson, A. & Lobaugh, N. (2011). An investigation of the effects of sports-related concussion in youth using functional magnetic resonance imaging and the Head Impact Telemetry System. Journal of Visualized Experiments, 47, http://www.jove.com/details.stp?id=2226 doi: 10.3791/2226.
  3. Keightley, M.L., Kendall, V., Jang, S.H., Parker, C., Agnihotri, S., Colantonio, A., Minore, B., Katt, M., Cameron, A., White, R., Longboat-White, C. & Bellavance, A. (2011). From health care to home community: An Aboriginal community-based ABI Transition Strategy in Ontario. Brain Injury, 25(2), 142-52.
  4. Reed, N., Keightley, M.L., Duggan, C., McAuliffe, J., Taha, T., Faught, B.E., McPherson, M., Baker, J. & Montelpare, W. (2010). Measurement of sustained head impacts in youth ice hockey players.  International Journal of Sports Medicine, 31(11), 826-33.
  5. Agnihotri, S., Keightley, M.L., Colantonio, A., Cameron, D, & Polatajko, H. (2010). Community integration interventions for youth with acquired brain injuries: A review. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 13(5), 369-82.

Recent Theses/Graduate Projects Supervised

  1. "Mild traumatic brain injury, cognitive function and sport-specific motor performance in youth hockey players". Nick Reed (PhD), in progress.
  2. “Developmental changes in brain activation during a verbal and non-spatial visual working memory task in typically developing youth: A longitudinal fMRI Study”. Stephanie Green (PhD), in progress
  3. “The effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on autobiographical memory development in children and adolescents”. Sabrina Agnihotri (PhD), in progress
  4. “Dual-task performance following mTBI in Youth: A Neuroimaging Investigation”. Katia Sinopoli, Post doctorate, in process.
  5.  “The Effect of Sports-Related Concussion on Verbal Learning and Memory Performance in Youth.” Amy Wilkinson, (M.A.) 2009.

Research Interests

Sports-related mild TBI in children and youth, Functional neuroimaging in the rehabilitation sciences, Emotional processing and social skills recovery following brain injury, Neurobiology of emotional health and well-being, Visual arts in rehabilitation sciences. Aboriginal perspectives on brain injury.

Current Courses

OCT 1122 H: Methods in Research-Based Occupational Therapy Practice

PSY 5401: Psychological Assessment in the Pediatric Population

Special Lectures / Keynote Speeches

  1. Media (Magazine). Thomas, S.  Child’s Play: Two U of T researchers take to the ice to better understand the brain. Utoronto Medicine: Health Starts Here, 5(3), 14 February, 2010.
  2. Media (Radio). Research featured on “Impacts of sports related concussion in youth.”  Calgary Today. AM 770, Calgary. 28 January 2010. 
  3. Invited Speaker: Sports-related mild traumatic brain injury in pediatric populations, Rehab Rounds, Toronto, ON, December 4, 2008.
  4. Invited Speaker: Sports-related concussion, Ontario Women’s Hockey Association Annual General Meeting, Sarnia, ON, May 24, 2008.
  5. Invited Speaker: Sports-related mild traumatic brain injury in the pediatric population. Bloorview Kids Rehab Research Rounds, Toronto, ON, May 13, 2008.

 

Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy

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