Neuropsychological rehabilitation of mild traumatic brain injury.
A significant minority of patients who have sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) may exhibit persistent disability. There have been few attempts to describe and evaluate the effectiveness of neurorehabilitation for these patients. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the results of a neuropsychological rehabilitation programme for 20 patients with MTBI. Based upon the ability to resume productive functioning after treatment, 10 patients were determined to exhibit a good outcome and 10 patients were considered to exhibit a poor outcome. Patients with good outcome exhibited significant pre-post-treatment improvements on both neuropsychological measures of cognitive functioning and self-reported post-concussive symptoms. Patients with poor outcome demonstrated little improvement in either area, and in some cases showed a decline in functioning. The results are consistent with the view that there may be significant variability in recovery and response to treatment after MTBI. There is a continued need to identify which patients may benefit from neurorehabilitation, develop specially tailored interventions, and conduct controlled, prospective studies in this area.
Cicerone
K D
KD
JFK-Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, Edison, New Jersey, USA.
Smith
L C
LC
Ellmo
W
W
Mangel
H R
HR
Nelson
P
P
Chase
R F
RF
Kalmar
K
K
D000328:Adult; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011379:Prognosis; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational / Q000523:psychology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome