October 10, 2024 – Dr. Silvia Girola, a PM&R Specialist, presented findings on cognitive functions in patients with spinal cord injuries
A delegation from the Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Research Innovation Institute has just returned from the 52nd National Congress of Simfer – Società italiana di Medicina fisica e riabilitativa. Dr. Silvia Girola, PM&R Specialist, presented a report on cognitive functions in patients with spinal cord injury. Here’s a quick recap.
- The acquisition of new skills by these patients can be significantly more complicated when cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and abstract reasoning are impaired, along with emotional dysfunctions like stress, anxiety, depression, and difficulties in body perception. How do these cognitive deficits evolve following specific training? Could this represent a new frontier in rehabilitative care?
- The study involved 35 patients with spinal cord injury, with an average age of 49.5 years and an average duration of 28.2 between the initial injury and neuropsychological assessment. Among these patients, 8 had a complete injury, while 27 had an incomplete injury. The subjects exhibited isolated attentional deficits, which may be attributed to pre-existing attentional deficiencies, hospitalization – often associated with reduced cognitive stimuli—and the extensive use of medications that directly affect the Central Nervous System.
- All participants demonstrated a positive response to cognitive training. Finally, preliminary data on the state of “flow” were presented, suggesting that the transition from one rehabilitative step to the next is generally well accepted by patients and characterized by a strong sense of self-awareness within the challenging condition proposed.
