Attention Training After Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in Adults: A Systematic Review

Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Soule, A. C., Fish, T. J., et al. (2025).

Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 106(3), 433-443.

<div>This systematic review explores the impact of attentional training in adults with attention deficits secondary to moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury.</div>

None declared

From database inception to February 27, 2021

<div>Any study design</div>

21

<div>In a majority of studies (20 out of 21), attention training was found to have at least some degree of positive impact on attention deficits in adults with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury. Improvements were noted regardless of age, chronicity of injury, or degree of severity. Specific findings included:</div> <div> <ul> <li>Seven studies reported consistent, significant improvement in all utilized attention measures.</li> <li>Seven studies reported specific improvements in attention subtypes, the most common of which were improvements in divided attention followed by sustained and selective attention.&nbsp;</li> <li>Three studies included follow-up assessment, all of which reported sustained improvements at variable follow up (i.e., 3 weeks to 4 months).&nbsp;</li> <li>Thirteen studies reported improvements on some, but not all, measures of attention.</li> <li>One study reported reported no significant improvement in attention across multiple measures.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <div>Limitations to this review include the reduced methodological rigor of included studies, heterogeneity between studies (e.g., different interventions and assessment measures), lack of reporting of various aspects of interventions or study designs, and an overall lack of investigation of maintenance and generalization effects within studies.&nbsp;</div> </div>