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Review
. 2020 Feb 21:11:23.
doi: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00023. eCollection 2020.

Neurobehavioral Initiation and Motivation Problems After Acquired Brain Injury

Simona Palmisano  1   2 , Luciano Fasotti  1   2 , Dirk Bertens  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Neurobehavioral Initiation and Motivation Problems After Acquired Brain Injury

Simona Palmisano et al. Front Neurol. .

Abstract

Motivation is a primary and permanent source of human behavior and adaptation. Motivational deficits, along with deficiencies in initiation, frequently occur in individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI). These neurobehavioral problems are associated with consequences at the participation level: patients are reluctant to engage in rehabilitation, and their subsequent social reintegration is often at risk. The same problems may also become a heavy burden for the families of individuals with ABI. In the present paper, we will critically review both the current definitions and the instruments used to measure motivational disorders following ABI. We will also describe the neural system underlying motivation and its impairments. What emerges is the need to develop specific rehabilitative treatments, still absent at the moment, with the ultimate aim of ensuring a better quality of life for both the patients and their proxies.

Keywords: acquired brain injury; adynamia; apathy; initiation; motivation.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Anatomical areas involved in motivation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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