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Computer-Based Cognitive Rehabilitation Interventions for Traumatic Brain Injury: A Critical Review of the Literature.

ABSTRACT: Computer-based interventions have been developed to improve cognitive performance after mild traumatic brain injury; however, a thorough evaluation of this body of research has not been addressed in the literature.The aim of this study was to provide a synthesis and critical review of current research studies that have tested the efficacy of computer-based interventions on cognitive performance after mild traumatic brain injury.A critical review was conducted by identifying relevant studies in the electronic databases PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycInfo, and CINAHL from 2011 to the present. Because of the limited number of publications focused exclusively on mild traumatic brain injury, research studies that assessed the impact of computer-based interventions on cognitive outcomes in populations with acquired brain injury were included.Of the 58 studies identified, only 10 publications included participants with mild traumatic brain injury. Overall, the identified studies did not use a standard method for assessing the severity of traumatic brain injury, and many studies included participants with a wide variety of etiologies for acquired brain injury and used multiple measures of cognitive performance, which made comparisons difficult across studies. In addition to small sample sizes, the study samples were heterogeneous in regard to the number of previous traumatic brain injuries, time elapsed since injury, and age and gender distributions. Preinjury comorbidities that may affect cognitive performance, such as depression, anxiety, or learning disabilities, were often not assessed.There is weak evidence that computer-based interventions can improve working memory and cognitive function in individuals after mild traumatic brain injury. Because of the low-quality evidence, seminal questions remain regarding the optimal format, dosage, timing, and duration of computer-based intervention for improving cognitive performance. Future studies should focus on using a strong research design, such as a prospective, longitudinal, repeated-measures study, with an adequate number of participants who meet mild traumatic brain injury criteria. Preinjury comorbidities, cognitive reserve, time since injury, age, and gender should be addressed in the design because there may be differences in recovery time and mechanisms of cognitive plasticity among populations.Overall, computer-based interventions seem promising as an approach to improve working memory in individuals with acquired brain injury. There is no evidence that currently available interventions are specific to mild traumatic brain injury. Well-designed research studies with adequate sample sizes are needed to assess the effect of computer-based interventions on cognitive performance after mild traumatic brain injury.

SUBMITTER: Fetta J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5510482 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Computer-Based Cognitive Rehabilitation Interventions for Traumatic Brain Injury: A Critical Review of the Literature.

Fetta Joseph J Starkweather Angela A Gill Jessica M JM

The Journal of neuroscience nursing : journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses 20170801 4

<h4>Background</h4>Computer-based interventions have been developed to improve cognitive performance after mild traumatic brain injury; however, a thorough evaluation of this body of research has not been addressed in the literature.<h4>Objectives</h4>The aim of this study was to provide a synthesis and critical review of current research studies that have tested the efficacy of computer-based interventions on cognitive performance after mild traumatic brain injury.<h4>Methods</h4>A critical rev ...[more]

PMID: 28661947

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Project description:Background: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) results from an external force to the head or body causing neurophysiological changes within the brain. The number and severity of symptoms can vary, with some individuals experiencing rapid recovery, and others having persistent symptoms for months to years, impacting their quality of life. Current rehabilitation is limited in its ability to treat persistent symptoms and novel approaches are being sought to improve outcomes following mTBI. Neuromodulation is one technique used to encourage adaptive neuroplasticity within the brain. Objective: To systematically review the literature on the efficacy of neuromodulation in the mTBI population. Method: A systematic review was conducted using Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES and EBM Review. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis reporting guidelines were used and a narrative review of the selected studies was completed. Fourteen articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria which were published in English, investigating an adult sample and using a pre- and post-intervention design. Studies were excluded if they included non-mild TBI severities, pediatric or older adult populations. Results: Thirteen of fourteen studies reported positive reductions in mTBI symptomatology following neuromodulation. Specifically, improvements were reported in post-concussion symptom ratings, headaches, dizziness, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, general disability, cognition, return to work and quality of life. Normalization of working memory activation patterns, vestibular field potentials, hemodynamics of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and excessive delta wave activity were also seen. The studies reviewed had several methodological limitations including small, heterogenous samples and varied intervention protocols, limiting generalisability. Further research is required to understand the context in which neuromodulation may be beneficial. Conclusions: While these positive effects are observed, limitations included unequal representation of neuromodulation modalities in the literature, and lack of literature describing the efficacy of neuromodulation on the development or duration of persistent mTBI symptoms. Better clarity regarding neuromodulation efficacy could have a significant impact on mTBI patients, researchers, clinicians, and policy makers, facilitating a more productive post-mTBI population. Despite the limitations, the literature indicates that neuromodulation warrants further investigation. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020161279.

Project description:Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is disproportionately prevalent among individuals experiencing homelessness. While rehabilitation is critical to facilitating recovery after TBI, there is currently limited information on the extent to which rehabilitation is provided to individuals experiencing homelessness and TBI. If unaddressed, this knowledge gap can perpetuate TBI-related challenges and contribute to a repetitive cycle of TBI and homelessness. This scoping review explored the extent to which rehabilitation, including the types of rehabilitation interventions, are available to, or used by, individuals experiencing homelessness and TBI. A systematic search of electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL Register of Clinical Trials, CINAHL, APA PsycINFO, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, and Proquest Nursing and Allied Health) was conducted to identify peer-reviewed articles that met predetermined eligibility criteria. Gray literature and reference lists of eligible articles were also searched for relevant content. A descriptive numerical summary of extracted data was conducted, and qualitative analytic techniques were applied to analyze the data. Fifteen peer-reviewed articles and three gray literature reports were included, describing interventions for individuals experiencing homelessness and TBI (N = 4), rehabilitation for individuals experiencing homelessness without specific inclusion criteria for TBI (N = 11), and rehabilitation interventions that included individuals experiencing homelessness and TBI, without specific inclusion criteria for experiences of homelessness or TBI (N = 3). This review demonstrates that rehabilitation programs or interventions for this population already exist, and those that are focused on individuals experiencing homelessness are already serving individuals with TBI. Findings highlight opportunities to adapt existing rehabilitation for individuals who experience homelessness and TBI through screening for TBI, conducting cognitive and functional assessments, and tailoring interventions with multidisciplinary teams. Education and training for healthcare professionals working with individuals experiencing homelessness and TBI should be explored, including structured education and training, collaboration with a multidisciplinary team, and co-development of educational materials with service users. Research that considers the rehabilitation needs of diverse individuals experiencing homelessness and TBI is urgently needed.

Project description:BackgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. TBI is a highly heterogeneous disease, which makes it complex for effective therapeutic interventions. Cluster analysis has been extensively applied in previous research studies to identify homogeneous subgroups based on performance in neuropsychological baseline tests. Nevertheless, most analyzed samples are rarely larger than a size of 100, and different cluster analysis approaches and cluster validity indices have been scarcely compared or applied in web-based rehabilitation treatments.ObjectiveThe aims of our study were as follows: (1) to apply state-of-the-art cluster validity indices to different cluster strategies: hierarchical, partitional, and model-based, (2) to apply combined strategies of dimensionality reduction by using principal component analysis and random forests and perform stability assessment of the final profiles, (3) to characterize the identified profiles by using demographic and clinically relevant variables, and (4) to study the external validity of the obtained clusters by considering 3 relevant aspects of TBI rehabilitation: Glasgow Coma Scale, functional independence measure, and execution of web-based cognitive tasks.MethodsThis study was performed from August 2008 to July 2019. Different cluster strategies were executed with Mclust, factoextra, and cluster R packages. For combined strategies, we used the FactoMineR and random forest R packages. Stability analysis was performed with the fpc R package. Between-group comparisons for external validation were performed using 2-tailed t test, chi-square test, or Mann-Whitney U test, as appropriate.ResultsWe analyzed 574 adult patients with TBI (mostly severe) who were undergoing web-based rehabilitation. We identified and characterized 3 clusters with strong internal validation: (1) moderate attentional impairment and moderate dysexecutive syndrome with mild memory impairment and normal spatiotemporal perception, with almost 66% (111/170) of the patients being highly educated (P<.05); (2) severe dysexecutive syndrome with severe attentional and memory impairments and normal spatiotemporal perception, with 49.2% (153/311) of the patients being highly educated (P<.05); (3) very severe cognitive impairment, with 45.2% (42/93) of the patients being highly educated (P<.05). We externally validated them with severity of injury (P=.006) and functional independence assessments: cognitive (P<.001), motor (P<.001), and total (P<.001). We mapped 151,763 web-based cognitive rehabilitation tasks during the whole period to the 3 obtained clusters (P<.001) and confirmed the identified patterns. Stability analysis indicated that clusters 1 and 2 were respectively rated as 0.60 and 0.75; therefore, they were measuring a pattern and cluster 3 was rated as highly stable.ConclusionsCluster analysis in web-based cognitive rehabilitation treatments enables the identification and characterization of strong response patterns to neuropsychological tests, external validation of the obtained clusters, tailoring of cognitive web-based tasks executed in the web platform to the identified profiles, thereby providing clinicians a tool for treatment personalization, and the extension of a similar approach to other medical conditions.

Dataset Information

Computer-Based Cognitive Rehabilitation Interventions for Traumatic Brain Injury: A Critical Review of the Literature.

Publications

Computer-Based Cognitive Rehabilitation Interventions for Traumatic Brain Injury: A Critical Review of the Literature.

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