Aim: To examine the effects of working memory (WM) training in adult patients with stroke. Methods: A randomized pilot study with a treatment group and a passive control group; 18 participants (12 males) in a vocational age group (mean age 54 years) were randomized to either the treatment or the control condition. The intervention consisted of computerized training on various WM tasks for five weeks. A neuropsychological test battery and self-rating on cognitive functioning in daily life (the CFQ) were administered both before and after the treatment. Results: Statistically significant training effects were found on the non-trained tests for WM and attention, i.e., tests that measure related cognitive functions but are not identical to tasks in the training programme (Span board p < 0.05; PASAT p < 0.001; Ruff 2&7 p < 0.005). There was a significant decrease in symptoms of cognitive problems as measured by the CFQ (p < 0.005). Conclusion: More than one year after a stroke, systematic WM training can significantly improve WM and attention.

This study set out to investigate the behavioral correlates of changes in resting-state functional connectivity before and after performing a 20 minute continuous psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) for patients with chronic post-concussion syndrome. Ten patients in chronic phase after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) with persisting symptoms of fatigue and ten matched healthy controls participated in the study. We assessed the participants’ fatigue levels and conducted resting-state fMRI before and after a sustained PVT. We evaluated the changes in brain functional connectivity indices in relation to the subject’s fatigue behavior using a quantitative data-driven analysis approach. We found that the PVT invoked significant mental fatigue and specific functional connectivity changes in mTBI patients. Furthermore, we found a significant linear correlation between self-reported fatigue and functional connectivity in the thalamus and middle frontal cortex. Our findings indicate that resting-state fMRI measurements may be a useful indicator of performance potential and a marker of fatigue level in the neural attentional system.

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The study indicates that home-based cognitive training improves some attentional and memory functions and facilitates learning of strategies. Future controlled studies are needed to confirm the results and analyse the efficacy of different aspects of home-based training.