Mild cognitive impairment, such as difficulty with memory and attention, is very common after a concussion or brain injury. Typically these impairments are temporary in nature and are best managed with tools and strategies that compensate for function. There are a subset of individuals that might experience these impairments for a prolonged period of time, and may need additional rehabilitation to return to pre-injury levels. For those individuals, cognitive remediation may be beneficial in addition to compensatory techniques. Cognitive remediation aims to restore function through the use of structured exercises targeting specific domains of function at the appropriate level of challenge. The results from t neurocognitive testing, in addition to further identified areas of difficulty, will inform the selection of a continually customized set of exercises, essentially personal training for your brain!
If you would like to read more about cognitive rehabilitation, the topics in the concussion library, Cognition Part 1 (background on what cognition is and how it’s impacted after a concussion); and Cognition Part 2 (cognitive rehabilitation after a concussion), may be of interest to you!
Research & writing: Caitlin Heino
Last update: March 2018