The Effectiveness Of Rehabilitation For Cognitive Deficits

"In this book, some of the leading clinicians and cognitive neuroscientists consider the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation. They situate the issues within an overall context that considers the different types and levels of diagnosis and assessment, the adequacy of underlying cognitive theory for rehabilitation, and more importantly, the clinical effectiveness of current treatments to improve functional recovery. By employing an evidence-based approach that critically evaluates the published literature, the book provides for a better understanding of the strengths and limitations of the cognitive approach and hopefully a more realistic expectation of its outcome for patients with neurological deficits." "The book will serve as a valuable source for a wide spectrum of professionals who deal with the neuropsychological and neurological effects of brain damage."--BOOK JACKET.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) may affect 10 million people worldwide. It is considered the "signature wound" of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. These injuries result from a bump or blow to the head, or from external forces that cause the brain to move within the head, such as whiplash or exposure to blasts. TBI can cause an array of physical and mental health concerns and is a growing problem, particularly among soldiers and veterans because of repeated exposure to violent environments. One form of treatment for TBI is cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT), a patient-specific, goal-oriented approach to help patients increase their ability to process and interpret information. The Department of Defense asked the IOM to conduct a study to determine the effectiveness of CRT for treatment of TBI.

The purpose of this book is to educate readers regarding the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation across a variety of neurological conditions, with specific emphasis on rehabilitation-related change detectable via neuroimaging. For ease of reference, this information is divided into separate chapters by neurological condition, since the nature of cognitive impairment and mechanism of rehabilitation may differ across populations. Also included are discussions of the use of neuroimaging in cognitive rehabilitation trials, rigorous design of cognitive rehabilitation trials to have greater scientific impact (e.g., obtaining Class I evidence), and future directions for the field. As such, the book is designed to be useful to both clinicians and researchers involved in the rehabilitation of such conditions so that they can make informed decisions regarding evidence-based treatment to deploy in clinical settings or to further study in research endeavors.

Over the past 15 years there have been significant advances in cognitive analysis of many neuropsychological syndromes. In such analyses, investigators aim to understand cognitive deficits in terms of impairments to particular processes within a model of normal cognitive performance. In addition, evidence from cognitive impairments can be used to help constrain theories of normal performance. However, until recently cognitive neuropsychological analyses had made little penetration of clinical rehabilitation practice. This situation is now beginning to change, though, as in several areas of study, clinical practitioners use cognitive models and cognitive neuropsychological analyses to guide both assessment and rehabilitation. The marrying of cognitive neuropsychology to cognitive rehabilitation offers great promise for producing a principled approach to rehabilitation, tailored to the cognitive deficits in particular patients. This book brings together a series of empirical and review papers dealing with recent attempts to apply cognitive neuropsychology to cognitive rehabilitation. The book is divided into 6 topic areas covering: Visual Object Recognition, Visual Attention, Motor Performance, Spoken Language and Phonological Skills, Written Language, and Memory. Within each topic, there is a review chapter, covering both recent advances in cognitive theory and attempts to apply this to rehabilitation, followed by empirical papers reporting on rehabilitation-related research. There are, additionally, overview chapters covering the general implications of cognitive neuropsychological research for cognitive rehabilitation, and introductions to the chapters within each topic area. The papers present both a state-of-the-art review and an attempt to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the cognitive neuropsychological approach to cognitive rehabilitation. Papers evaluate the utility of cognitive neuropsychological analyses for both diagnosis and the design of therapy, and they also assess the use of rehabilitation research for testing theories of normal performance. The book is essential reading for all those interested in the application of cognitive neuropsychology to cognitive rehabilitation.

Errrorless learning is one of the most studied principles in neurorehabilitation. This is the first volume to capture all the key elements in the field in one invaluable resource, providing an up-to-date and broad analysis of the use of errorless learning principles in rehabilitation after brain injury. With contributions from key researchers in the field, Errorless Learning in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation covers the historical foundations of errorless learning, current understanding of underlying mechanisms which support learning and its use in memory and language in rehabilitation as applied to particular populations across the age span. This volume also addresses questions of efficacy through analysis of research comparing errorless learning with other established learning methods and principles. Errorless Learning in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation is an essential resource for practitioners, researchers and students of psychology, neuropsychology and rehabilitation.

Originally published in 1990, this book constitutes an objective evaluation of different cognitive rehabilitation techniques in relation to different types of brain injury at different stages of recovery. Various forms of cognitive rehabilitation are reviewed and clinical techniques are evaluated on the basis of their ability to restore functional independence or produce behaviour change, and improve aspects of cognitive ability.

This book is out of print. See Transforming Cognitive Rehabilitation, ISBN 978-1-4625-5087-6.

This text compiles a series of educational and thought-provoking chapters from the world's leading cognitive and clinical scientists to describe the latest research on cognitive impairments in a host of pathological conditions that affect CNS functioning, the available treatments for these impairments, and how new treatments are being tested. This volume advances the field toward the availability of cognitive enhancing drugs and devices that will benefit those who need them most and others who may believe that these techniques can help them to thrive