Neuropsychological rehabilitation in patients with traumatic brain injury due to cerebral damage

Abstract

Brain damages caused by traffic accidents and falls are the most common cases causing intracerebral lesions, focal or diffuse with memory alterations in most of the aetiologies, producing a huge impact on patient’s life: memory loss, issues to retain information and lack
of concentration; which require appropriate strategies and techniques in the rehabilitation process after clinical intervention.
Test Sample: 20 years-old woman diagnosed with Traumatic brain injury due to a home accident, given a pharmacological treatment and showing retrograde amnesia, lack of concentration, stress, anxiety and emotional problems even 2 years after injury. Proposed objective was to improve patience’s personal performance and relationships with her family, work and social environments, focusing on the restoration of any altered functions.
Methodology: Sixteen group sessions and four individual sessions of two hours each per week involving adults with cognitive impairment. Individual neuropsychological assessment: Minimental-State Examination, Neuropsi Test, Frontal Assessment Battery, Intellectual Ability’s Quick Assessment, Barsit.
Intervention Techniques: Relaxation using thematic imagination; restorative approach strategies based on specific activities; compensatory approach strategies in self-regulation and metacognitive use of amnestic keys, new learning acquisitions; significant and vital goals and psychoeducation.
Conclusions: Memory alterations due to retrograde dementia, affected by inability to remember events that occurred before of the Traumatic brain injury (TBI); improved considerably as well as the semantic and episodic memory; balance restoration of decision-making executive functions, planning processes and goals achievement. Group sessions allowed to acquire new anti-stress and anxiety techniques as well as good management of emotions.