Randomized clinical trial on the effects of a computerized cognitive training for pediatric patients with acquired brain injury or congenital malformation

Both acquired injuries and congenital malformations often cause lifelong disabilities in children, with a significant impact on cognitive abilities. Remote computerized cognitive training (CCT) may be delivered in ecological settings to favour rehabilitation continuity. This randomized clinical tria...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2023-09, Vol.13 (1), p.14559-14559, Article 14559
Main Authors: Corti, Claudia, Oldrati, Viola, Papini, Marta, Strazzer, Sandra, Poggi, Geraldina, Romaniello, Romina, Borgatti, Renato, Urgesi, Cosimo, Bardoni, Alessandra
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/477
631/477/2811
Brain cancer
Brain injury
Brain tumors
Clinical trials
Cognitive ability
Congenital defects
Humanities and Social Sciences
Memory
multidisciplinary
Patients
Pediatrics
Rehabilitation
Research design
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Short term memory
Spatial memory
Training
Traumatic brain injury
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Summary:Both acquired injuries and congenital malformations often cause lifelong disabilities in children, with a significant impact on cognitive abilities. Remote computerized cognitive training (CCT) may be delivered in ecological settings to favour rehabilitation continuity. This randomized clinical trial (RCT) evaluated the efficacy of an 8-week multi-domain, home-based CCT in a sample of patients aged 11–16 years with non-progressive acquired brain injury (ABI), brain tumor (BT) and congenital brain malformation (CBM). Following a stepped-wedge research design, patients were randomized into two groups: Training-first group, which started the CCT immediately after baseline assessment and Waiting-first group, which started the CCT after a period of time comparable to that required by the training (8 weeks). Post-training and long-term (6 months) changes were assessed. Both groups improved on visual–spatial working memory after the CCT, with benefits maintained after 6 months, while no other changes in cognitive or psychological measures were found. These findings suggest that a multi-domain CCT can generate benefits in visual–spatial working memory, in accordance with data from extant literature reporting that computer games heavily engage visuo-spatial abilities. We speculate that is tapping on the same cognitive ability with a prolonged training that may generate the greatest change after a CCT.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-41810-1