title: Impact of cognitive rehabilitation therapy on neuropsychological impairments as measured by brain perfusion SPECT: a longitudinal study.
abstract: Three patients, with known brain injury and neuropsychological impairments, are followed through an individualized cognitive rehabilitation programme and post discharge from the treatment programme. Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) of the brain was employed to evaluate resting relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during the process of recovery from brain injury. All patients experienced significant improvements on measures of neuropsychological functioning and improvements in rCBF during this longitudinal study. The specific changes in rCBF appear to be related to the location of the patient's brain injury and strategies particular to cognitive rehabilitation therapy. Continued improvements in rCBF, functional abilities, and cognitive skills were documented in these three cases up to 45 months post brain injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Restorative Medical Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago 60612, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laatsch
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jobe
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sychra
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blend
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime