title: Improving prospective memory performance with future event simulation in traumatic brain injury patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous studies have shown that traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients have difficulties with prospective memory (PM). Considering that PM is closely linked to independent living it is of primary interest to develop strategies that can improve PM performance in TBI patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study employed Virtual Week task as a measure of PM, and we included future event simulation to boost PM performance. Study 1 evaluated the efficacy of the strategy and investigated possible practice effects. Twenty-four healthy participants performed Virtual Week in a no strategy condition, and 24 healthy participants performed it in a mixed condition (no strategy - future event simulation). In Study 2, 18 TBI patients completed the mixed condition of Virtual Week and were compared with the 24 healthy controls who undertook the mixed condition of Virtual Week in Study 1. All participants also completed a neuropsychological evaluation to characterize the groups on level of cognitive functioning.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Study 1 showed that participants in the future event simulation condition outperformed participants in the no strategy condition, and these results were not attributable to practice effects. Results of Study 2 showed that TBI patients performed PM tasks less accurately than controls, but that future event simulation can substantially reduce TBI-related deficits in PM performance. The future event simulation strategy also improved the controls' PM performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These studies showed the value of future event simulation strategy in improving PM performance in healthy participants as well as in TBI patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TBI patients performed PM tasks less accurately than controls, confirming prospective memory impairment in these patients. Participants in the future event simulation condition out-performed participants in the no strategy condition. Future event simulation can substantially reduce TBI-related deficits in PM performance. Future event simulation strategy also improved the controls' PM performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mioni
authors.affiliation: Associazione Rieducativa Ente Privato (AREP) Onlus, Villorba, Treviso, Italy.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bertucci
authors.affiliation: Associazione Rieducativa Ente Privato (AREP) Onlus, Villorba, Treviso, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosato
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Gill
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Terrett
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Rendell
authors.affiliation: Associazione Rieducativa Ente Privato (AREP) Onlus, Villorba, Treviso, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zamuner
authors.affiliation: Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stablum
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Virtual Week; future event simulation; prospective memory; traumatic brain injury