Early Training of Attention After Acquired Brain Injury

Summary

Background: To study intensive targeted cognitive rehabilitation of attention in the acute (\<4 months) and subacute rehabilitation phases (4 -12 months) after acquired brain injury and to evaluate the effects on function, activity and participation (return to work).

Design: prospective, randomised, controlled study. Methods: 120 consecutive patients with stroke or traumatic brain injury are randomised to 20 hours of intensive attention training by Attention Process Training or by standard, activity based training. Progress is evaluated by Statistical Process Control and by pre and post measurement of functional and activity levels. Return to work is also evaluated in the post-acute phase. Primary endpoints are the changes in the attention measure, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test and changes in work ability. Secondary endpoints include measurement of cognitive functions, activity and work return. There are 3, 6 and 12-month follow ups focussing on health economics.

Discussion: The study will provide information on rehabilitation of attention in the early phases after acquired brain injury (ABI); effects on function, activity and return to work. Further, the application of Statistical Process Control might enable closer investigation of the cognitive changes after acquired brain injury and demonstrate the usefulness of process measures in rehabilitation.

Conditions

• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Stroke

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

APT training

APT training was used as intensive area-specific cognitive training at four levels: sustained, selective, divided and alternating attention. The APT also includes education in acquired attention deficits and training for generalization. Each session took 45-90 minutes to perform. The APT-test was used to determine the level of difficulty for the attention training.

BEHAVIORAL

Multiprofessional rehabilitation

Attention training in activities included standard occupational training within an interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme. The programme consisted of training and the use of compensatory strategies in attention-demanding activities of daily living, performing independent work with attention-demanding tasks at individual level and group activities

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Region Stockholm

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Promobilia Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• Stroke Foundation

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• KID-medel

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Karolinska Institutet

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Aniko Bartfai, PhD · Karolinska institutet, KIDS

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

60 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2009-01-31

Primary Completion

2014-11-30

Completion

2014-11-30

Countries

• Sweden

Study Locations