{"title":"A novel digital approach for post-stroke cognitive deficits: a pilot study.","authors":"Massimiliano Oliveri, Sergio Bagnato, Silvia Rizzo, Emilia Imbornone, Andreina Giustiniani, Angela Catania, Patrizia Turriziani","doi":"10.3233/RNN-231305","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cognitive dysfunctions after a brain stroke have a huge impact on patients' disability and activities of daily living. Prism adaptation (PA) is currently used in patients with right brain damage to improve lateralized spatial attentional deficits. Recent findings suggest that PA could also be useful for rehabilitation of other cognitive functions.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>In the present study, we tested for the efficacy on cognitive rehabilitation of a novel device in which the procedure of prism adaptation is digitized and followed by cognitive training of attention and executive functions using serious games.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty stroke patients were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group of 15 patients, which performed the experimental rehabilitation training using the novel device in 10 consecutive daily sessions; a control group of 15 patients, which performed the routine cognitive training in 10 consecutive daily sessions. Both groups were tested before and after the rehabilitation program on neuropsychological tests (digit and spatial span forward and backward, attentional matrices, Stroop task) and on functional scales (Barthel index and Beck Anxiety Index).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The main results showed that only patients who received the experimental rehabilitation training improved their scores on tests of digit span forward, spatial span backward, attentional matrices and Stroop. Moreover, patients of the experimental but not of the control group showed a significant correlation between improvement on some tasks (mainly spatial span backward) and improvement on activities of daily living as well as with reduction of anxiety levels.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These results suggest that combining digital PA with cognitive training using serious games may be added in clinical settings for cognitive rehabilitation of stroke patients, with beneficial effects extending in promoting independency in activities of daily living and reduction of psychiatric symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":21130,"journal":{"name":"Restorative neurology and neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"103-113"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Restorative neurology and neuroscience","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3233/RNN-231305","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"NEUROSCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Cognitive dysfunctions after a brain stroke have a huge impact on patients' disability and activities of daily living. Prism adaptation (PA) is currently used in patients with right brain damage to improve lateralized spatial attentional deficits. Recent findings suggest that PA could also be useful for rehabilitation of other cognitive functions.
Objective: In the present study, we tested for the efficacy on cognitive rehabilitation of a novel device in which the procedure of prism adaptation is digitized and followed by cognitive training of attention and executive functions using serious games.
Methods: Thirty stroke patients were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group of 15 patients, which performed the experimental rehabilitation training using the novel device in 10 consecutive daily sessions; a control group of 15 patients, which performed the routine cognitive training in 10 consecutive daily sessions. Both groups were tested before and after the rehabilitation program on neuropsychological tests (digit and spatial span forward and backward, attentional matrices, Stroop task) and on functional scales (Barthel index and Beck Anxiety Index).
Results: The main results showed that only patients who received the experimental rehabilitation training improved their scores on tests of digit span forward, spatial span backward, attentional matrices and Stroop. Moreover, patients of the experimental but not of the control group showed a significant correlation between improvement on some tasks (mainly spatial span backward) and improvement on activities of daily living as well as with reduction of anxiety levels.
Conclusions: These results suggest that combining digital PA with cognitive training using serious games may be added in clinical settings for cognitive rehabilitation of stroke patients, with beneficial effects extending in promoting independency in activities of daily living and reduction of psychiatric symptoms.
期刊介绍:
This interdisciplinary journal publishes papers relating to the plasticity and response of the nervous system to accidental or experimental injuries and their interventions, transplantation, neurodegenerative disorders and experimental strategies to improve regeneration or functional recovery and rehabilitation. Experimental and clinical research papers adopting fresh conceptual approaches are encouraged. The overriding criteria for publication are novelty, significant experimental or clinical relevance and interest to a multidisciplinary audience. Experiments on un-anesthetized animals should conform with the standards for the use of laboratory animals as established by the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, US National Academy of Sciences. Experiments in which paralytic agents are used must be justified. Patient identity should be concealed. All manuscripts are sent out for blind peer review to editorial board members or outside reviewers. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience is a member of Neuroscience Peer Review Consortium.