Cognitive Rehabilitation Approaches to Traumatic Brain Injury: A Review of Efficacy and Outcomes

Abstract

Cognitive rehabilitation is a critical component of intervention for many individuals with both short- and long-term impairments associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI). By focusing on major cognitive domains, emotional processing, and behavioral strategies, clinicians use cognitive rehabilitation to improve cognitive related functional outcomes, quality of life, and social relationships. Cognitive rehabilitation is traditionally divided into restorative and compensatory approaches, though increasingly combined approaches within the larger medical, multidisciplinary team are being incorporated and explored. Literature related to cognitive rehabilitation within the TBI population continues to be needed in order to assist clinicians in developing evidence-based intervention protocols and therapy plans. This paper details current approaches to cognitive rehabilitation and provides an updated review of the literature associated with the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation. Reviewed evidence supports the use of cognitive rehabilitation to improve multiple cognitive domains, including attention, memory, executive function, and metacognitive skills. The long-term outcomes of continued cognitive rehabilitation services post-TBI are not as comprehensively documented as the relative short-term outcomes. The efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation is impacted by patient-specific variables, timing and intensity of treatment. This paper concludes with noted information related to the limitations of the current evidence of cognitive rehabilitation, including study design concerns, and reduced generalizability of the relevant research.