Objective: This case series study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a holistic approach of a computer-assisted and traditional neuropsychological rehabilitation program in improving some cognitive functions in patients who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Methods: The case series study followed a single-case design, with an A-B-A-B design and was conducted in the rehabilitation center at King Fahad Medical City-Saudi Arabia between Aug 2015 and March 2016. Participants comprised 5 males with moderate-to-severe TBI and persistent cognitive impairments. The computerized model included known software programs for cognitive rehabilitation to improve this rehabilitation process. The program period was six weeks for each case, all focusing on executive functions, memory, and attention.
Results: three out of the five cases improved remarkably in their attentional, executive, and related memory functions; with one showing moderate improvement and the five-case showing little improvement.
Conclusion: The holistic approach of the neuropsychological rehabilitation program is effective for some TBI cases in improving their cognitive and psychosocial functioning, alongside vocational outcomes, as reported in the follow-up interviews of the patients and their families. More research is required to contribute to the current literature and for the study's findings to be further analyzed for these interventions.
Computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation with and without unihemispheric concurrent dual-site a-tDCS and conventional tDCS on improving the response inhibition in patients with stroke