Functional improvement in chronic stroke patients when following a supervised home-based computerized cognitive training

ABSTRACT

Background

Computerized Cognitive Training (CCT) is an effective treatment for cognitive impairment in the post-acute stage of stroke. However, it is still not clear if it is suitable for chronic stage.

Objectives

To explore if patients with cognitive deficit following stroke may benefit from CCT.

Methods

Thirty patients post-stroke between 24 and 62 years old were randomized into two groups (A and B) to receive two different types of CCT. All patients were tested with a neuropsychological battery and functional questionnaires, before and after each CCT and also 6 months after the end of the study. In phase I, Group A received a customized CCT and Group B received a non-customized CCT, over 6 weeks. Three months after, each group received the other intervention (phase II).

Results

After phase I, between-group analyses revealed that Group A showed a relative decrease in subjective complaints. In contrast, Group B showed improvement in performance-based measures. After phase II, the decrease in subjective complaints continued in Group A, and both groups showed improvement in performance-based measures.

Conclusions

Patients with chronic stroke improved cognitive functioning after performing supervised home-based multi-domain computerized cognitive training.

KEYWORDS:

• Tele-rehabilitation
• cognitive training
• chronic stroke
• functional outcome
• cognitive assessment
• neuropsychologist

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Dr Adam G. Schrum and C. Molina-Mendiola for providing writing assistance and general support. We also thank Admissions Area and Documentation Department (O. Araujo) of Institut Guttmann for their support.

Disclosure statement

The GNPT® is partly property of Institut Guttmann. The authors declare the following interests: JS, AA, RSC, and JMT have been involved in the development of the GNPT®.

Author’s contributions

A.G.M. contributed to trial conception, study design, and reviewing of manuscript. M.G.P. contributed to study design, method and data analysis, and drafting and reviewing of manuscript. J.S.C. gave advice in telecommunications engineering and reviewing of manuscript. R.S.C. contributed to refinement of the study and reviewing of manuscript. J.M.T. contributed to study design and reviewing of manuscript. A.E. contributed coordination of the study and reviewing of manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Ethics approval has been received from the Care Ethics Committee of Fundació Institut Guttmann. Informed consent from all participants in the study was obtained.

Additional information

Funding

This study is funded by BIOCAT La Fundació BioRegió de Catalunya – Registry Number: COM15-1-0004 and Fundació Bancària “la Caixa” - Obra Social “la Caixa” Project number: LCF/PR/PR16/11110004</#award-id;; Fundació Bancària “la Caixa” - Obra Social “la Caixa”; Fundació Bancària “la Caixa” - Obra Social “la Caixa”Fundació Bancària “la Caixa” - Obra Social “la Caixa” [LCF/PR/PR16/11110004];