A Scoping Review of Recent Advancements in Intervention and Outcome Measures for Post-Stroke Cognitive Impairments

Abstract

Background: Cognitive deficit is one of the common impairments that occur post stroke and have a major effect on the quality of life of stroke survivors. However, the intervention and outcome measures used to remediate post-stroke cognitive impairments are diverse and highly heterogeneous. Therefore, a review of intervention and outcome measures for post-stroke cognitive impairments was carried out. Objectives: To review all available information on the recent advancements in intervention and outcome measures for post-stroke cognitive impairments. Methods: An electronic database search was conducted in PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library with key search terms between 2001 and 2021. The search results were systematically screened, and data was independently extracted by three reviewers. The data was thematically analyzed and narratively synthesized. Results: The search retrieved 2018 records, and we included 12 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies targeted global cognitive deficits in ischemic stroke patients in the chronic phase. We categorized data based on the type of cognitive impairment, cognitive- domain targeted, intervention, and available outcome measures for post-stroke cognitive rehabilitation. Attention, memory, executive function, and global cognition were the common cognitive components targeted, managed, and assessed using an outcome measure. We found that technology is replacing conventional approaches to improve cognitive impairment. Conclusion: Regardless of many new developments in post-stroke cognitive rehabilitation interventions driven by technology, there is limited data available on actual implementation as a scalable solution. There is an extensive need for future research for evidence-based assessment and management of cognitive impairments in post-stroke rehabilitation.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation impacts the executive function of patients with vascular cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Consequently, further research is imperative to validate these findings. According to the search, existing meta-analyses (16)(17)(18)(19)(20) have focused on rTMS for the treatment of cognitive impairment in stroke, with no meta-analysis of rTMS for vascular executive dysfunction now. Therefore, this paper aims to (1) demonstrate the effectiveness of rTMS for the executive function of patients with VCI and (2) further subgroup analyses to assess the effects of multiple factors on the treatment.…”