The study found that computerized cognitive remediation can induce neuroplasticity and improve cognitive performance in adults with chronic traumatic brain injury. Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and reorganize nerve fibers that support learning and mental processing.
The researchers randomly assigned 17 adults (ages 24–56) to either an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group used the Brain Fitness Program 2.0 and completed 40 one-hour sessions across 14 weeks. The training involved tasks such as:
- recalling syllable sequences,
- distinguishing between different sound frequencies,
- and recalling details from a verbal story.
Investigators used diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, which measures the speed and direction of water molecules as they move through the brain, to assess nerve-fiber pathways. Participants who completed the program showed structural changes in white matter that the team compared to repaired telephone wires after a heavy storm. These changes were connected to measurable gains on tests of processing speed, attention, and working memory, and the researchers linked increased strength and stability of nerve fibers to improved cognitive ability. Gerald Voelbel, associate professor of cognitive neuroscience at NYU Steinhardt and the study's senior author, presented the results in the Journal of Neurotrauma. Source: NYU.
Difficult words
- neuroplasticity — Brain ability to change and reorganize
- remediation — Training designed to improve cognitive skills
- white matter — Brain tissue made of nerve fiber bundles
- diffusion — Movement of molecules from one place to another
- imaging — Techniques for making pictures of body structures
- processing speed — How quickly the brain handles information
- working memory — Short-term holding and using of information
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Discussion questions
- How might cognitive training programs affect daily life for someone with chronic traumatic brain injury? Give examples.
- What further research would you suggest to confirm and expand these results?
- What are possible limitations of a study with seventeen participants, and how could researchers address them?
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