Outcomes Following Neuropsychological Intervention in Acquired Brain Injury Outpatients With Executive Dysfunction

Summary

This Clinical Trial is a pilot study being conducted to study the impact of a specific cognitive rehabilitation program, Goal Management Training (GMT), in adult patients with executive dysfunction and associated problems in everyday functioning. The intervention program will also include relaxation training and psychoeducation regarding brain injury on everyday functioning, emotional status, and executive functioning. Goal Management Training focuses on teaching individuals strategies to compensate for executive functioning deficits and is based on a theory of goal neglect resulting in disorganized behavior following frontal lobe injury. It emphasizes strategies for self-monitoring and self-evaluation in everyday life. Given its goal-oriented emphasis, focus on individual everyday difficulties, and reports of improvements in self-reported executive failures and mood, GMT appears to be an ideal intervention treatment for individuals with executive and functional deficits.

Given the emphasis of goal-oriented rehabilitation on reducing the impact of cognitive impairment on daily functioning, rather than attempting to restore cognitive abilities, a reduction in subjective reports of psychological distress is anticipated. This hypothesis is consistent with existing literature revealing reduced reports of annoyance and executive difficulties on self-report inventories. Improvements on tests of sustained attention and visuospatial problem-solving, as well as small effects on additional measures of planning, are also anticipated.

Conditions

• Acquired Brain Injury

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Goal Management Training

Participants will be randomly assigned to the GMT Treatment. The GMT cognitive rehabilitation intervention program will be administered in group format, consisting of 8 sessions, including structured psychoeducation, relaxation training, and stepwise learning of GMT.

BEHAVIORAL

Education & relaxation training

The Education \& Relaxation Training Control Group program will also be administered in group format, consisting of two sessions, including structured psychoeducation and relaxation training. Participants assigned to the Control condition will be offered the opportunity to complete the full GMT program following the completion of the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Health Sciences Centre Foundation, Manitoba

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Manitoba

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Lesley Ritchie, Ph.D. · University of Manitoba

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2013-12-31

Primary Completion

2017-03-31

Completion

2017-03-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations