Meta-Analysis of Cognitive Rehabilitation Interventions in Veterans and Service Members With Traumatic Brain Injuries

Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation

Austin, T. A., Hodges, C. B., et al. (2024).

Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 39(4), 258-272.

<div>This meta-analysis explores the effects of cognitive rehabilitation for veteran and active duty adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI).</div>

Not stated

From database inception to February 24, 2023

<div>Randomized control trials</div>

8

<div>Cognitive rehabilitation had the following effects for veterans and active duty military personnel with traumatic brain injury:</div> <div> <ul> <li>a small, significant effect on objective cognitive functioning (d = 0.22);</li> <li>a small, insignificant effect on performance-based cognitive measures;&nbsp;</li> <li>significant improvements in memory (d = 0.42) and executive functioning (d = 0.26);</li> <li>no significant effect on attention;</li> <li>significantly improved scores on objective (d = 0.37) and performance-based (d = 0.72) cognitive measures following strategy-based interventions;</li> <li>no significant improvements on objective and performance-based cognitive measures for drill-and-practice interventions or mixed interventions (i.e., strategy-based and drill-and-practice interventions; 1 study);</li> <li>no significant effect of comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder, age, education level, chronicity of TBI, or duration of treatment on treatment outcomes; and</li> <li>intact maintenance of treatment effects at 10- to 12-week follow-up (d = 0.45) compared to immediately post-treatment (d = 0.40).&nbsp;</li> </ul> <div>Limitations to this meta-analysis include heterogeneity between studies, the general lack of reporting of comorbid psychological diagnoses and/or any treatment history, and a small number of included studies.</div> </div>