title: The role of cognitive training in the neurorehabilitation of a patient who survived a lightning strike. A case study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lightning-related injuries most often involve impairment of the functions of the central and peripheral nervous systems, usually including cognitive dysfunctions. We evaluated the cognitive deficit of a patient who had survived a lightning strike and measured the improvement after her cognitive training. This therapeutic method appears to be a powerful tool in the neurorehabilitation treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this case study was to prove the beneficial effects of cognitive training as part of the neurorehabilitation after a lightning strike.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six neuropsychological functions were examined in order to test the cognitive status of the patient before and after the 2-month cognitive training: phonological short-term memory (digit span test and word repetitions test), visuo-spatial short-term memory (Corsi Block Tapping Test), working memory (backward digit span test and listening span test), executive functions (letter and semantic fluencies), language functions (non-word repetition test, Pléh-Palotás-Lörik (PPL) test and sentence repetition test) and episodic memory (Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test and Mini Mental State Examination). We also utilized these tests in aged-matched healthy individuals so as to be able to characterize the domains of the observed improvements more precisely.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patient exhibited a considerable improvement in the backward digit span, semantic fluency, non-word repetition, PPL, sentence repetition and Rivermead Behavioral Memory tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cognitive training played an important role in the neurorehabilitation treatment of this lightning injury patient. It considerably improved her quality of life through the functional recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Tímea
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tánczos
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Dénes
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zádori
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Katalin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jakab
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zsuzsanna
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hnyilicza
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Klivényi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Health Center of the Hungarian Defense Forces, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Keresztes
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: József
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Engelhardt
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education and Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Dezső
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Németh
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary MTA-SZTE Neuroscience Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vécsei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015168:Lightning Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Lightning injury; cognitive training; neuropsychological tests; neurorehabilitation