Dataset Information

Executive Function Moderates Functional Outcomes of Engagement Strategies During Rehabilitation in Older Adults.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

This study examined cognitive, affective, and medical impairments and their impact on rehabilitation approaches for improving functional outcome after hospitalization in older adults.

Design

A secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial in 229 adults 65 yrs or older admitted to two skilled nursing facilities undergoing rehabilitation services was conducted. Patients were randomized to receive physical and occupational therapy by therapists trained in systematic approaches to engage patients, called Enhanced Medical Rehabilitation, or standard of care. The outcome of interest was functional improvement, defined as Barthel Index at discharge (controlling for Barthel Index upon admission). This study analyzed the relationship of measures of cognition, depression, and medical comorbidities as predictors of functional outcome and as moderators interacting with treatment group.

Results

Clock drawing score moderated treatment effect size; the functional improvement of Enhanced Medical Rehabilitation over standard of care therapy reduced with increasing executive impairment. In contrast, general cognitive abilities, depression, medical comorbidities, and readiness for rehabilitation were neither predictors nor moderators of functional improvement.

Conclusions

For older adults undergoing rehabilitation, greater functional improvement with the motivational techniques of Enhanced Medical Rehabilitation was contingent on patients having intact executive function. Given that executive function impairments are common in rehabilitation populations, new strategies are needed to improve treatment outcomes in physical/occupational therapy.

To claim cme credits

Complete the self-assessment activity and evaluation online at http://www.physiatry.org/JournalCME.

Cme objectives

Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to (1) Discuss the role of baseline affective, cognitive, and medical impairments in impacting functional outcomes of older adults undergoing rehabilitation; (2) Describe the behavioral change and motivational approaches that are core features of the novel intervention known as Enhanced Medical Rehabilitation (E-MR); and (3) Determine the role of baseline executive function in moderating the effect of rehabilitation intervention on functional outcomes in older adults.

Level

Advanced.

Accreditation

The Association of Academic Physiatrists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.The Association of Academic Physiatrists designates this Journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

SUBMITTER: Ercal B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8260037 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Recent work suggests that the brain can be conceptualized as a network comprised of groups of sub-networks or modules. The extent of segregation between modules can be quantified with a modularity metric, where networks with high modularity have dense connections within modules and sparser connections between modules. Previous work has shown that higher modularity predicts greater improvements after cognitive training in patients with traumatic brain injury and in healthy older and young adults. It is not known, however, whether modularity can also predict cognitive gains after a physical exercise intervention. Here, we quantified modularity in older adults (N = 128, mean age = 64.74) who underwent one of the following interventions for 6 months (NCT01472744 on ClinicalTrials.gov): (1) aerobic exercise in the form of brisk walking (Walk), (2) aerobic exercise in the form of brisk walking plus nutritional supplement (Walk+), (3) stretching, strengthening and stability (SSS), or (4) dance instruction. After the intervention, the Walk, Walk+ and SSS groups showed gains in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), with larger effects in both walking groups compared to the SSS and Dance groups. The Walk, Walk+ and SSS groups also improved in executive function (EF) as measured by reasoning, working memory, and task-switching tests. In the Walk, Walk+, and SSS groups that improved in EF, higher baseline modularity was positively related to EF gains, even after controlling for age, in-scanner motion and baseline EF. No relationship between modularity and EF gains was observed in the Dance group, which did not show training-related gains in CRF or EF control. These results are consistent with previous studies demonstrating that individuals with a more modular brain network organization are more responsive to cognitive training. These findings suggest that the predictive power of modularity may be generalizable across interventions aimed to enhance aspects of cognition and that, especially in low-performing individuals, global network properties can capture individual differences in neuroplasticity.