Asha K. Vas

Higher-order reasoning training years after traumatic brain injury in adults.

Objective:To conduct a feasibility study to compare the effects of top-down Strategic Memory and Reasoning Training (SMART) versus information-based Brain Health Workshop (BHW, control) on gist-reasoning (ie, abstracting novel meaning from complex information), memory, executive functions, and daily function in adults with traumatic brain injury. Participants:Twenty-eight participants (of the 35 recruited), 16 men & 12 women, aged 20 to 65 years (M = 43, SD = 11.34) at chronic stages posttraumatic brain injury (2 years or longer) completed the training. Fourteen participants that received SMART and 14 participants that completed BHW were assessed both pre- and posttraining. Thirteen of the SMART trained and 11 from BHW participated in a 6-month testing. Design:The study was a single blinded randomized control trial. Participants in both groups received a minimum of 15 hours of training over 8 weeks. Results:The SMART group significantly improved gist-reasoning as compared to the BHW group. Benefits of the SMART extended to untrained measures of working memory and participation in functional activities. Exploratory analyses suggested potential transfer effects of SMART on memory and executive functions. The benefits of the SMART program as compared to BHW were evident at immediately posttraining and 6 months posttraining. Conclusion:This study provides preliminary evidence that short-term intensive training in top-down modulation of information benefits gist-reasoning and generalizes to measures of executive function and real life function at chronic stages of post-TBI.

Evaluating the effectiveness of reasoning training in military and civilian chronic traumatic brain injury patients: study protocol

BackgroundIndividuals who sustain traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) often continue to experience significant impairment of cognitive functions mediated by the prefrontal cortex well into chronic stages of recovery. Traditional brain training programs that focus on improving specific skills fall short of addressing integrative functions that draw upon multiple higher-order processes critical for social and vocational integration. In the current study, we compare the effects of two short-term, intensive, group-based cognitive rehabilitation programs for individuals with chronic TBI. One program emphasizes learning about brain functions and influences on cognition, while the other program adopts a top-down approach to improve abstract reasoning abilities that are largely reliant on the prefrontal cortex. These treatment programs are evaluated in civilian and military veteran TBI populations.Methods/designOne hundred individuals are being enrolled in this double-blinded clinical trial (all measures and data analyses will be conducted by blinded raters and analysts). Each individual is randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions, with each condition run in groups of five to seven individuals. The primary anticipated outcomes are improvement in abstract reasoning and everyday life functioning, measured through behavioral tasks and questionnaires, and attention modulation, as measured by functional neuroimaging. Secondary expected outcomes include improvements in the cognitive processes of working memory, attention, and inhibitory control.DiscussionResults of this trial will determine whether cognitive rehabilitation aimed at teaching TBI-relevant information about the brain and cognition versus training in TBI-affected thinking abilities (e.g., memory, attention, and executive functioning) can improve outcomes in chronic military and civilian TBI patient populations. It should shed light on the nature of improvements and the characteristics of patients most likely to benefit. This trial will also provide information about the sustainability of treatment-related improvements 3 months post-training.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01552473

Reasoning training in veteran and civilian traumatic brain injury with persistent mild impairment

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a chronic health condition. The prevalence of TBI, combined with limited advances in protocols to mitigate persistent TBI-related impairments in higher order cognition, present a significant challenge. In this randomised study (n = 60), we compared the benefits of Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Training (SMART, n = 31), a strategy-based programme shown to improve cognitive control, versus an active learning programme called Brain Health Workshop (BHW, n = 29) in individuals with TBI with persistent mild functional deficits. Outcomes were measured on cognitive, psychological health, functional, and imaging measures. Repeated measures analyses of immediate post-training and 3-month post-training demonstrated gains on the cognitive control domain of gist reasoning (ability to abstract big ideas/goals from complex information/tasks) in the SMART group as compared to BHW. Gains following the SMART programme were also evident on improved executive function, memory, and daily function as well as reduced symptoms associated with depression and stress. The SMART group showed an increase in bilateral precuneus cerebral blood flow (CBF). Improvements in gist reasoning in the SMART group were also associated with an increase in CBF in the left inferior frontal region, the left insula and the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex. These results add to prior findings that the SMART programme provides an efficient set of strategies that have the potential to improve cognitive control performance and associated executive functions and daily function, to enhance psychological health, and facilitate positive neural plasticity in adults with persistent mild impairment after TBI.

Abstracting meaning from complex information (gist reasoning) in adult traumatic brain injury

Gist reasoning (abstracting meaning from complex information) was compared between adults with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI, n = 30) at least one year post injury and healthy adults (n = 40). The study also examined the contribution of executive functions (working memory, inhibition, and switching) and memory (immediate recall and memory for facts) to gist reasoning. The correspondence between gist reasoning and daily function was also examined in the TBI group. Results indicated that the TBI group performed significantly lower than the control group on gist reasoning, even after adjusting for executive functions and memory. Executive function composite was positively associated with gist reasoning (p < .001). Additionally, performance on gist reasoning significantly predicted daily function in the TBI group beyond the predictive ability of executive function alone (p = .011). Synthesizing and abstracting meaning(s) from information (i.e., gist reasoning) could provide an informative index into higher order cognition and daily functionality.

Language impairments in traumatic brain injury. a window into complex cognitive performance.

Often, standard aphasia batteries do not fully characterize higher-order cognitive-linguistic sequelae associated with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Limited understanding and detection of complex linguistic deficits have thwarted efforts to comprehensively remediate higher-order language deficits that persist even in chronic stages of recovery post-TBI. This chapter reviews key precursor metrics that have motivated efforts to elucidate higher-order language proficiencies after a TBI. The chapter further expounds on a paradigmatic shift away from sole focus on lower level basic skills, towards a more top-down cognitive control approach to measure, retrain, and strengthen complex language abilities in TBI. The intricate relations between complex language abilities and cognitive control functions are also discussed. The concluding section offers promising directions for future research and clinical management based on new discoveries of higher-order language impairments and their modifiability in TBI populations.