Improving New Learning and Memory in Traumatic Brain Injury

Impairments in higher level cognitive processing, such as new learning and memory, are among the most common deficits in individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and such deficits have been shown to exert significant negative impact on multiple aspects of everyday life, including occupational and social functioning. Despite these findings, few studies have attempted to remediate these cognitive deficits in order to improve the everyday functioning of individuals with TBI

Therefore, we will conduct a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial, applying a memory rehabilitation technique to a large sample of TBI participants. This protocol has been well-validated with other neurological populations and preliminary evidence in support of its use in MS now exists. Individuals with TBI, with documented impairment in memory and new learning, will be randomly assigned to either a memory retraining group or a placebo control group. Outcome will be measured through two mechanisms: (1) a traditional neuropsychological (NP) battery and (2) an assessment of global functioning (AGF) examining the impact of the treatment on daily activities. Both groups will undergo baseline, immediate follow-up, and long-term follow-up assessments consisting of a traditional NP evaluation, which examines objective performance on well-validated measures of cognitive function, and an AGF, which includes self-report measures of memory abilities, self-efficacy, quality of life, and occupational functioning. In this way, we will be able to objectively evaluate the presence or absence of changes in memory performance through a NP assessment, while also evaluating the impact of this treatment protocol on an individual's everyday life through the AGF. While most studies evaluating the efficacy of cognitive retraining usually employ a pre-training and post-training evaluation, such evaluations have been criticized for their lack of ecological validity. The present design allows the assessment of the efficacy of this particular memory retraining technique within an TBI population using traditional measures, as well as the assessment of the impact that such a rehabilitation technique has on everyday life. In addition, we will include a 6-month follow-up assessment to measure the long-term impact of this treatment on objective cognitive functioning, through a NP assessment, and everyday life, through an AGF. Finally, half of the participants in the experimental group will participate in monthly "booster sessions" following the completion of treatment and we will evaluate the impact of these sessions on the maintenance of treatment effects over time. A subset of the sample will also complete pre and post neuroimaging to evaluate changes in cerebral activation.

The documentation of the efficacy of memory retraining in TBI, particularly on everyday functioning, could have a significant impact on symptom management and quality of life in the lives of persons. As such, specific aims of the current research protocol are as follows.

Aim 1. This study will objectively evaluate the clinical utility of a memory retraining protocol to improve performance on objective tests of new learning and memory in a large sample of individuals with TBI with documented deficits in this area.

Aim 2. We will increase the generalizability and real life application of assessment techniques by assessing outcome following cognitive retraining with more global measures of everyday life. An objective measure of everyday functioning will be included, as well as numerous subjective measures of everyday functioning, which will be gathered via established self-report instruments, as well as ratings by a significant other.

Aim 3: This study will evaluate the long-term efficacy of this memory retraining protocol through the inclusion of a 6-month follow-up assessment. Many cognitive remediation studies in the literature examine the efficacy of the treatment immediately following program completion. However, given the time, expense, and labor involved in such intensive treatment, it is important to demonstrate the long-term efficacy of such a program. The current study therefore goes beyond the typical protocol length to evaluate the long-term impact such treatment will have on objective testing and on an individual's daily life.

Aim 4: We will examine the need for and impact of "booster sessions" following the completion of treatment. "Booster sessions" have been shown to be efficacious in maximizing the long term benefit of cognitive retraining in research with other populations. However, the utility of booster sessions in a TBI population has never been investigated.