Noa Mintz '23 is concentrating in Cognitive Neuroscience. Her research interests include disorders of consciousness and cognition, specifically in the context of brain injury and acute stroke. Noa's Royce project is inspired by the patients, families, and providers she has worked with while conducting research in Rhode Island Hospital's Neurocritical Care Unit. Outside of research, Noa is a small business founder and enjoys working with entrepreneurs both inside and outside of Brown’s community.

Project:

Characterized by acute fluctuations in consciousness and cognition, delirium is a neuropsychiatric syndrome  often correlated with acute stroke patients, leading to increased length of hospital stay, patient mortality, and unfavorable cognitive and functional outcomes. Data from a cohort of acute stroke patients collected through in-hospital and post-discharge cognitive assessments and EEG recordings will be used to determine the potential utility of EEG biomarkers in detecting delirium. This project will also include personal interviews to better understand delirium’s impact on patients’ families and caregivers, including perceptions of acute illness and subsequent diagnoses. A project goal is to empower and support patients and their families/caregivers, encouraging them to take a more active role in delirium management. This will, in turn, support the creation of more reliable and clinically-meaningful diagnostic tools that can strengthen decision-making partnerships between clinicians and their patients.