title: Group Intensive Cognitive Activation in Patients with Major or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  No standard protocols are available for cognitive rehabilitation (CR) in conditions like Major or Mild Neurocognitive disorder (M-NCD or m-NCD, respectively); however, preliminary data seem to indicate that such interventions might have cost-effective beneficial effects and are free from side effect or adverse events. Three basic approaches are known: cognitive stimulation (CS), cognitive training (CT), and CR.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a protocol of group intensive cognitive activation (g-ICA) in patients with both M-NCD and m-NCD; the protocol was specifically arranged in our Research Institute, based on the principles of the central role of the patient and the mediation pedagogy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen patients with M-NCD and fifteen patients with m-NCD were enrolled, as well as eleven patients with M-NCD who were used as a control group (CG). The intervention was carried-out by a clinical neuropsychologist with daily group sessions over a period of 2 months. Neuropsychological assessment was performed at baseline and after the completion of the rehabilitative intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  General cognitive functioning, attention, ideomotor praxis and visual memory scores were found to be significantly increased in all patients. Beneficial and significant effects were also found for constructive praxis in M-NCD and for executive functioning in m-NCD. All areas of the language function were significantly ameliorated in m-NCD, while this happened only for verbal repetition and syntax-grammar comprehension in M-NCD. No changes were detected for long- and short-term verbal memory, which were found to be worsened in controls without activation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings seem to indicate that g-ICA might be effective in inducing beneficial changes on the general cognitive functioning and other specific functions in patients with both m-NCD and M-NCD. Moreover, the specific protocol proposed, even if susceptible of important improvement, is easy to carry out within hospital facilities and cost-effective.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychology I. C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS) Troina, Italy.
authors.forename: Simonetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Panerai
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychology I. C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS) Troina, Italy.
authors.forename: Domenica
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tasca
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychology I. C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS) Troina, Italy.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Musso
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychology I. C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS) Troina, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Catania
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychology I. C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS) Troina, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.affiliation: Unit of Neurology, Morgagni-Pierantoni Hospital Forlì, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raggi
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychology I. C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS) Troina, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muratore
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychology I. C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS) Troina, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Prestianni
authors.affiliation: Unit of Psychology I. C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS) Troina, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bonforte
authors.affiliation: Unit of Neurology I. C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS) Troina, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferri
keywords: cognitive stimulation; cognitive training; dementia; mild cognitive impairment; patient-focused cognitive intervention