Effects of intensive neuropsychological rehabilitation for acquired brain injury

Rebuilding the self through valued action and group connections after acquired brain injury: Participant perspectives of the VaLiANT group intervention

Effective interventions that facilitate adjustment following acquired brain injury (ABI) are needed to improve long-term outcomes and meaningful reengagement in life. VaLiANT is an 8-week group intervention that combines cognitive rehabilitation with Acceptance and Commitment therapy to improve valued living, wellbeing, and adjustment. This study explored participant experiences of VaLiANT to optimize its ongoing development. This included characterization of individually meaningful treatment outcomes, mechanisms of action, and intervention acceptability. Qualitative interviews and quantitative ratings were collected from 39 ABI survivors (Mage = 52, SD = 15; 54% stroke) following their participation in VaLiANT. Participants reported diverse outcomes which resulted in three themes being generated following reflexive thematic analysis. "A fuller toolkit for life with brain injury" indicated increased strategy usage and better daily functioning; "The value of connection and belonging" captured the importance of social experiences in shaping recovery; and "Finding the me I can be" represented cognitive, behavioural, and emotional aspects of identity reconstruction post-ABI. The content and delivery of the intervention were rated highly but participants desired greater follow-up and tailoring of the intervention. Overall, VaLiANT appears to facilitate adjustment through several mechanisms, but greater intervention individualization and dosage may be required to enhance the treatment impact.

Family members' and friends' reports after standard and intensive group treatment for social communication difficulties following acquired brain injury - a mixed method approach

OBJECTIVE

To examine family members/friends' perception of change following standard and intensive group interactive structured treatment (GIST) for persons with social communication difficulties (SCDs).

METHODS

A parallel mixed methods design combining data from questionnaires, the Goal Attainment Scale, and interviews.

PARTICIPANTS

Forty-nine adult (>18 years) family members/friends (69.4% female) of persons with SCDs and acquired brain injury (ABI) (cohabitating partner, 53.1%; other relatives, 30.6%; friends, 16.3%).

INTERVENTION

Standard GIST consisted of 12 weekly outpatient sessions (2.5 h). Intensive GIST consisted of 4 weeks of inpatient rehabilitation (2 × 3 days/week, 2 × 4 days/week). Both treatments included 3- and 6-month follow-ups.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Quantitative measures (n = 49) included the following informant reports: Latrobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ), Social Communication Skills Questionnaire-Adapted (SCSQ-A), Behavior Rating Inventory for Executive Functions-Adult version (BRIEF-A), and Goal Attainment Scale. The qualitative measure (n=9) was an interview performed at 6-month follow-up.

RESULTS

Converging results were found, suggesting a perceived positive change over time for both standard and intensive GIST, with no substantial differences reported between the treatments.

CONCLUSIONS

Family members/friends reported improved social communication skills of the persons with SCDs following standard and intensive GIST. However, the integration of data showed the complexity of assessing SCDs and the need for further investigation.

Memory rehabilitation: restorative, specific knowledge acquisition, compensatory, and holistic approaches

Memory impairment following an acquired brain injury can negatively impact daily living and quality of life—but can be reduced by memory rehabilitation. Here, we review the literature on four approaches for memory rehabilitation and their associated strategies: (1) the restorative approach, aimed at a return to pre-morbid functioning, (2) the knowledge acquisition approach, involving training on specific information relevant to daily life, (3) the compensatory approach, targeted at improving daily functioning, and (4) the holistic approach, in which social, emotional, and behavioral deficits are addressed alongside cognitive consequences of acquired brain injury. Each memory rehabilitation approach includes specific strategies such as drill and practice (restorative), spaced retrieval (knowledge acquisition), memory aids (compensatory), or a combination of psychotherapy and cognitive strategies (holistic). Past research has demonstrated mixed support for the use of restorative strategies to improve memory function, whereas knowledge acquisition strategies show promising results on trained tasks but little generalization to untrained tasks and activities of daily living. Compensatory strategies remain widely used but require intensive training to be effectively employed. Finally, the holistic approach is becoming more widespread due to improvements in psychosocial wellbeing, yet there are considerable resource and cost requirements. Several factors can influence rehabilitation outcomes including metacognition and emotional disturbances. Considerations for future research to improve the applicability of strategies for memory rehabilitation include assessing memory impairment severity, examining memory needs in daily life, and exploring the long-term effects of memory rehabilitation.

Psychotherapeutic Intervention for Adults With Acquired Brain Injury: A Case Study Using BackUp

A moderate-to-severe acquired brain injury (ABI) can have tremendous lifelong consequences for ABI-survivors and their families. Despite rehabilitation practice since the 1980s aspiring to a dynamic, coherent and holistic approach, the psychological dimension still seems to be a challenge and research has revealed persisting psychosocial impairments after ABI. Therefore, we developed BackUp©, a manual based short term psychological intervention for adults with ABI. This study explores the effect of the intervention though a small feasibility study, employing a single case design. One client received the intervention. Self-report measures were collected, and a semi structured interview was conducted. While results from pre, post and follow-up measures do not show clear positive results, the interview reveals positive experiences and the participant reported achieving his therapy goal. This case study provides support for a psychological intervention to support the psychological rehabilitation after an ABI.

Does Integrating Cognitive and Psychological Interventions Enhance Wellbeing After Acquired Brain Injury? Study Protocol for a Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial of the VaLiANT (Valued Living After Neurological Trauma) Group Program

Background and Objectives

Cognitive and emotional changes affect the majority of individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) and are associated with poorer outcomes. The evidence for “siloed” rehabilitation approaches targeting cognition and mood separately remains mixed. Valued living (i.e., acting consistently with personal values) is associated with better psychological functioning and participation in work and other productive activities. Rehabilitation interventions that concurrently address cognitive and emotional barriers to valued living may therefore result in improved outcomes. VaLiANT (Valued Living After Neurological Trauma) is an 8-week group intervention developed by our team, which uniquely combines cognitive rehabilitation and psychological therapy to improve wellbeing and meaningful participation (i.e., valued living) following ABI.

Method

This protocol describes the design and implementation of a Phase II parallel-group randomized controlled trial with blinded outcome assessors, to evaluate the potential efficacy of VaLiANT and the feasibility of a Phase III trial. Participants are adults with a history of ABI at least 3 months prior to study entry, who experience cognitive and/or emotional difficulties and associated reduced participation in valued activities. Random allocation to the treatment condition (8-week VaLiANT group program) or a usual care waitlist control condition occurs at a 2:1 treatment: control ratio. The primary outcome is wellbeing, measured by the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Secondary outcomes include measures of valued living, mood, cognitive complaints, quality of life, community participation, post-traumatic growth, and self-efficacy. All measures are collected across three time points by blinded assessors (baseline, 8-week follow-up, 16-week follow-up). Trial feasibility will be evaluated against recruitment rates, drop-out rates, intervention acceptability, and treatment fidelity (manual adherence and therapist competence).

Discussion

This trial will extend current knowledge on how to improve long-term outcomes following ABI by evaluating an innovative integrated, multi-domain approach to rehabilitation concurrently addressing cognitive and emotional barriers to participation in meaningful life roles.

Cognitive Impairment After COVID-19-A Review on Objective Test Data

Objective: The aim was to conduct a review on the literature on objective cognitive impairment in patients after COVID-19. Methods: We performed a literature review and searched Ovid Medline in February 2021 based on a PECO scheme. Results: Twelve articles met all inclusion criteria. Total patient sample was <1,000. All studies on global cognitive function found impairment, ranging from 15 to 80% of the sampled patients. Seven studies on attention and executive functions reported impairment, with varying results depending on sub-domain and different tests. Three out of four studies reported memory difficulties, with two studies reporting short-term memory deficits. Although results indicate possible language impairment, only one study used domain-specific language tasks. Two out of four studies on visuospatial function did not report any impairment. Conclusion: Patients with recent SARS-CoV-2 infection appear to experience global cognitive impairment, impairment in memory, attention and executive function, and in particular verbal fluency. Based on the current results, we recommend clinicians to evaluate the need for cognitive assessment of patients with a recent COVID-19 infection, regardless of the severity of the disease, treatment methods and length of ICU stay. We need studies with larger sample and control group.

Integrated neuropsychological and cognitive behavioural therapy after acquired brain injury: A pragmatic randomized clinical trial

After acquired brain injury (ABI) many patients suffer from persistent cognitive and emotional disturbances. The aim of this study was to investigate the treatment outcome of an integrated intervention, combining neuropsychological and cognitive behavioural therapy (nCBT), against waitlist (WL) in outpatients with ABI. Individuals seeking outpatient treatment for cognitive and emotional problems after ABI were randomly allocated to nCBT (n = 27) or WL (n = 29) and completed assessments at baseline, post-treatment/WL and at six-month follow-up. The primary outcome measures were general psychopathology and functional activity in daily life. The nCBT group showed significant improvement for general psychopathology post-treatment when compared to WL. nCBT was also superior to WL regarding the secondary outcomes, i.e., the reduction of negative affect and the improvement of quality of life. No significant differences for functional activity and community integration were observed. Significant pre-post effect sizes ranged between small for functional activity and medium for quality of life. The positive effects were maintained at follow-up. The majority of patients with cognitive and emotional problems after ABI benefit from an integrated approach that offers cognitive remediation and psychotherapy. However, the heterogeneous sequelae of ABI and the moderate sample sizes in clinical trials present a methodological challenge to ABI research.

Intensive and standard group-based treatment for persons with social communication difficulties after an acquired brain injury: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Social communication difficulties (SCDs) occur frequently after an acquired brain injury (ABI) and have disabling consequences, but effective interventions are scant. Group Interactive Structured Treatment (GIST) is a holistic group treatment targeting SCD that has received empirical support.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the efficacy of two GIST protocols, standard GIST and a newly developed intensive GIST, comparing standard GIST results to a wait-list control group (WL), as well as to intensive GIST received by participants following WL. The within subject results for WL and intensive GIST will also be examined.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Sixty adults (18-75 years) with SCD after ABI will be recruited for this randomised controlled trial. Standard GIST (n=30) will be delivered via outpatient sessions for 2.5 hours once per week for 12 weeks, plus one initial orientation session. Participants will be assessed at preintervention and postintervention and at 3-month and 6-month follow-ups (T1-T4). Intensive GIST (n=30) participants will be admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation unit for 4 weeks (two times 3 days/week, two times 4 days/week) and receive full-day sessions each week. Those participants will complete four assessments (T1-T4) in 12-week intervals as part of WL, assessments preintensive and postintensive GIST and at 3-month and 6-month follow-ups (T4-T7). The primary outcome measure is the La Trobe Questionnaire (self-report). Secondary outcome measures include the Profile of Pragmatic Impairment in Communication, a test of emotion recognition, the Goal Attainment Scale and questionnaires addressing social, emotional and cognitive functions, self-efficacy and quality of life.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Results will be communicated through international, peer-reviewed and popular science journals and presentations at scientific conferences. The study is approved by the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics Norway (2017/1360). The trial will be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and reported in accordance with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials 2010 statement and Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials recommendations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03636399.

Relationship between late objective and subjective outcomes of holistic neurorehabilitation in patients with traumatic brain injury

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relation between objectively measured outcomes of neurorehabilitation and subjective self-appraisal of those outcomes in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

METHODS

Forty-five adults (34 men; age at injury, mean ± SD, 30.1 ± 10.3 years) with chronic moderate-to-severe TBI (9.7 ± 5.5 years from injury; post-traumatic amnesia, 80% over one week) from two rehabilitation centres, in two countries. The subjects have had to resume working at various levels of competence following post-acute comprehensive neuropsychologically oriented neurorehabilitation, and experienced no functionally incapacitating, medical or psychological problems, for a minimum of six months after discharge. Objective outcome measure was the level of work competence attained post-rehabilitation transposed from the descriptions of the types of work attained by each subject into a number along a 10-point scale. Subjective outcome measure was the personal evaluations by ratings in six consequences of rehabilitation (effort during rehabilitation, meaning in life, productivity, acceptance, social life and intimate relationships) along a 10-point scale.

RESULTS

The attained work competence was statistically significantly related to the subjective self-appraisal of the ability to establish intimate relationships [odds ratio (OR), 1.79; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.20-2.68; P = .005]. Otherwise, no association between subjective ratings and the levels of work was found. Of the patients, 67% attained competitive, 22% subsidized, and 11% volunteer or sheltered work. The subjective self-rated outcomes of the patients were relatively good [median, lower quartile (Q1) - upper quartile (Q3): 8 to 9, 7 to 8 - 8 to 9 out of 10]. The lowest ratings were observed for the ability to establish intimate relationships (8, 7-8 out of 10).

CONCLUSIONS

The results support the need to evaluate rehabilitation outcomes involving both objective measures and subjective appraisals of them. The findings suggest that community functioning and satisfaction with that are distinct aspects of the subjects´ experience that must be considered in the evaluation of rehabilitation. It seems that comprehensive neurorehabilitation improve outcome, and patients with TBI with tailored placements were largely satisfied with the areas of wellness in their life. Additional larger controlled studies are needed to clarify how composition of neurorehabilitation and individualization in outcomes assessment might enhance the outcome of TBI rehabilitation.

Psychometric properties of the awareness questionnaire, patient competency rating scale and Dysexecutive Questionnaire in patients with acquired brain injury

OBJECTIVE

Lack of self-awareness of impairments is common after acquired brain injury (ABI). We evaluated the psychometric properties of three commonly used instruments for measuring self-awareness: Awareness Questionnaire (AQ), Patient Competency Rating Scale (PCRS) and Dysexecutive questionnaire (DEX).

METHOD

We recruited 105 patients with ABI and their relatives. We determined feasibility, responsiveness, test- retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity of AQ, PCRS and DEX.

RESULTS

No floor or ceiling effects were present. Total scale scores showed sufficient responsiveness: effect sizes were moderate to large (.57-.85); test-retest reliability was sufficient for patient forms (.75- .88) but mixed for relative forms (.60-.66). Internal consistency was good (.80-.89). Construct validity results confirmed a three-factor structured AQ and a four-factor structured PCRS. A two-facture structure was found for DEX patient forms; a three-factor structure was found for relative forms.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the total scale scores of patient forms of all questionnaires demonstrated sufficient psychometric properties. Psychometric properties of subscales are questionable. We could not replicate the factor structures of AQ, PCRS and DEX: the items within subscales differed with previous findings. Additional research into the test-retest, inter-rater reliability and responsiveness of relative and clinician forms is required.