[A comparative clinical study of the efficacy of computer cognitive training in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairments]

Occupational therapy for cognitive impairment in stroke patients

BACKGROUND

Cognitive impairment is a frequent consequence of stroke and can impact on a person's ability to perform everyday activities. Occupational therapists use a range of interventions when working with people who have cognitive impairment poststroke. This is an update of a Cochrane Review published in 2010.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the impact of occupational therapy on activities of daily living (ADL), both basic and instrumental, global cognitive function, and specific cognitive abilities in people who have cognitive impairment following a stroke.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, four other databases (all last searched September 2020), trial registries, and reference lists.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials that evaluated an intervention for adults with clinically defined stroke and confirmed cognitive impairment. The intervention needed either to be provided by an occupational therapist or considered within the scope of occupational therapy practice as defined in the review. We excluded studies focusing on apraxia or perceptual impairments or virtual reality interventions as these are covered by other Cochrane Reviews. The primary outcome was basic activities of daily living (BADL) such as dressing, feeding, and bathing. Secondary outcomes were instrumental ADL (IADL) (e.g. shopping and meal preparation), community integration and participation, global cognitive function and specific cognitive abilities (including attention, memory, executive function, or a combination of these), and subdomains of these abilities. We included both observed and self-reported outcome measures.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently selected studies that met the inclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed the certainty of the evidence. A third review author moderated disagreements if consensus was not reached. We contacted trial authors for additional information and data, where available. We assessed the certainty of key outcomes using GRADE.  MAIN RESULTS: We included 24 trials from 11 countries involving 1142 (analysed) participants (two weeks to eight years since stroke onset). This update includes 23 new trials in addition to the one study included in the previous version. Most were parallel randomised controlled trials except for one cross-over trial and one with a two-by-two factorial design. Most studies had sample sizes under 50 participants. Twenty studies involved a remediation approach to cognitive rehabilitation, particularly using computer-based interventions. The other four involved a compensatory and adaptive approach. The length of interventions ranged from 10 days to 18 weeks, with a mean total length of 19 hours. Control groups mostly received usual rehabilitation or occupational therapy care, with a few receiving an attention control that was comparable to usual care; two had no intervention (i.e. a waiting list). Apart from high risk of performance bias for all but one of the studies, the risk of bias for other aspects was mostly low or unclear.  For the primary outcome of BADL, meta-analysis found a small effect on completion of the intervention with a mean difference (MD) of 2.26 on the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.17 to 4.22; P = 0.03, I2 = 0%; 6 studies, 336 participants; low-certainty evidence). Therefore, on average, BADL improved by 2.26 points on the FIM that ranges from 18 (total assist) to 126 (complete independence). On follow-up, there was insufficient evidence of an effect at three months (MD 10.00, 95% CI -0.54 to 20.55; P = 0.06, I2 = 53%; 2 studies, 73 participants; low-certainty evidence), but evidence of an effect at six months (MD 11.38, 95% CI 1.62 to 21.14, I2 = 12%; 2 studies, 73 participants; low-certainty evidence). These differences are below 22 points which is the established minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for the FIM for people with stroke. For IADL, the evidence is very uncertain about an effect (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.94, 95% CI 0.41 to 1.47; P = 0.0005, I2 = 98%; 2 studies, 88 participants). For community integration, we found insufficient evidence of an effect (SMD 0.09, 95% CI -0.35 to 0.54; P = 0.68, I2 = 0%; 2 studies, 78 participants). There was an improvement of clinical importance in global cognitive functional performance after the intervention (SMD 0.35, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.54; P = 0.0004, I2 = 0%; 9 studies, 432 participants; low-certainty evidence), equating to 1.63 points on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (95% CI 0.75 to 2.52), which exceeds the anchor-based MCID of the MoCA for stroke rehabilitation patients of 1.22. We found some effect for attention overall (SMD -0.31, 95% CI -0.47 to -0.15; P = 0.0002, I2 = 20%; 13 studies, 620 participants; low-certainty evidence), equating to a difference of 17.31 seconds (95% CI 8.38 to 26.24), and for executive functional performance overall (SMD 0.49, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.66; P < 0.00001, I2 = 74%; 11 studies, 550 participants; very low-certainty evidence), equating to 1.41 points on the Frontal Assessment Battery (range: 0-18). Of the cognitive subdomains, we found evidence of effect of possible clinical importance, immediately after intervention, for sustained visual attention (moderate certainty) equating to 15.63 seconds, for working memory (low certainty) equating to 59.9 seconds, and thinking flexibly (low certainty), compared to control.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The effectiveness of occupational therapy for cognitive impairment poststroke remains unclear. Occupational therapy may result in little to no clinical difference in BADL immediately after intervention and at three and six months' follow-up. Occupational therapy may slightly improve global cognitive performance of a clinically important difference immediately after intervention, likely improves sustained visual attention slightly, and may slightly increase working memory and flexible thinking after intervention. There is evidence of low or very low certainty or insufficient evidence for effect on other cognitive domains, IADL, and community integration and participation.  Given the low certainty of much of the evidence in our review, more research is needed to support or refute the effectiveness of occupational therapy for cognitive impairment after stroke. Future trials need improved methodology to address issues including risk of bias and to better report the outcome measures and interventions used.

[Effectiveness of brain-computer interfaces and cognitive training using computer technologies in restoring cognitive functions in patients after stroke]

OBJECTIVE

To study the effectiveness of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) and cognitive training using computer technologies in restoring cognitive functions in poststroke patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Thirty-four stroke patients (mean age 59.3±10.8 years) with stroke duration of 5.1±4.7 months, were included. To assess the effectiveness of treatment, patients before and after treatment were tested using memorization of words according to the method of Luria A.R. «10 words», the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA), the Clock Drawing Test (CDT). All patients received standard rehabilitation therapy (exercise therapy, physiotherapy, sessions with a speech therapist-neuropsychologist). Patients of the first group additionally received training on the «Neurochat» complex, patients of the second group - on the «Exokist-2» complex, patients of the third group - cognitive training according to standard programs using computer technology and visual material.

RESULTS

Patients of the three groups showed a significant improvement in the total MoCA score: in the 1^st and 2^nd groups - p<0.01, in the 3^rd group - p<0.05. According to CDT, there was a significant change in the 2^nd group (p=0.018). The Luria method «10 words» revealed an improvement in memory in all groups (p<0.01, p<0.05), being more pronounced in the 1^st and 2^nd groups.

CONCLUSION

The effectiveness of BCI in restoring cognitive functions in patients after a stroke in comparison with cognitive training without BCI has been demonstrated. However, there are reasons to believe that various BCIs have a specific effect on cognitive functions and have their own target group.

The experience of comprehensive rehabilitation of a patient after a stroke with moya-moya disease. Case report

The article describes a clinical case of neurorehabilitation with a multimodal approach of a young patient with repeated ischemic strokes against the background of a rare chronic progressive cerebrovascular disease moya-moya disease. The multimodal approach consisted in the use of high-tech complexes with biofeedback, such as a stabilometric platform for visual and support reactions, cognitive training using computer technologies, as well as mirror therapy, physiotherapy procedures and physical therapy, including physiotherapy exercises and individual targeted training with paretic limbs. In accordance with the clinical scales used, convincing data were obtained on the effectiveness of the selected complex of rehabilitation measures.

[Multimodal stimulation in the neurorehabilitation of patients with poststroke cognitive impairment]

Loss of functional activity after a stroke is a leading cause of disability in adults worldwide. Particular attention is currently being paid to post-stroke cognitive impairment. Approaches based on multimodal exposure are increasingly being used when planning rehabilitation programs, which makes it possible to comprehensively cover the entire spectrum of existing neurological disorders in patients and enables to achieve a more effective recovery of functional activity after a stroke.