Acquired Brain Injury and Neurorehabilitation: the Influence of Psychological Characteristics

Launched by INSTITUT GUTTMANN · Oct 25, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how psychological characteristics affect the recovery of adults who have suffered from brain injuries, such as strokes or traumatic brain injuries. The goal is to better understand how these psychological traits can influence the success of rehabilitation therapies, which help patients regain their abilities and adapt to life after an injury. Researchers want to find out if psychological factors are linked to other recovery indicators, how they change during rehabilitation, and what they might predict about a patient's recovery.

To participate in this study, individuals must be over 18 years old and have experienced a brain injury within the last six months, along with some cognitive difficulties that can be measured through tests. Participants should be able to understand and respond in Spanish. They will complete a series of questionnaires at the start of their rehabilitation and again two months later, with an additional follow-up for those who continue with outpatient treatment. It's important to note that people with certain neurological or psychiatric conditions, or severe language and perception issues, will not be eligible to participate.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Age over 18 years
• • 2. Present acquired brain damage (stroke, head trauma, encephalopathy, brain tumor, or anoxia) after less than 6 months of evolution.
• • 3. Participants must present a cognitive alteration objectified through a neuropsychological examination.
• • 4. Be correctly oriented in person, space and time (assessed by psychometric tests).
• • 5. Have a good command of Spanish.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 6. Presenting a neurological or psychiatric history.
• • 7. Presenting a language disorder or severe visual-perceptive disorder - hemineglect - that prevents participation in the study (does not allow for correct administration of the questionnaire).
• • 8. A posteriori criterion (once the study has begun): Answering incorrectly to any of the validity items included in the questionnaire. This situation leads to automatic exclusion from studies.
• • The initial neuropsychological examination will be used to check whether participants meet inclusion criteria 3 and 4, as well as exclusion criterion 7. This examination includes orientation tests (subtest of the Barcelona Orientation Test), language tests (subtests of the Barcelona Word Repetition Test, Word Naming and Command Comprehension Test) and visual-perception tests (subtests of the Barcelona Superimposed Figures Test). Only those participants who correctly answer all the items will be selected.