Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2020 Jul 9;15(7):e0235510.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235510. eCollection 2020.

Computer-based cognitive interventions in acquired brain injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Rodrigo Fernández López  1 , Adoración Antolí  1   2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Computer-based cognitive interventions in acquired brain injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Rodrigo Fernández López et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Introduction: Acquired brain injury (ABI) leads to cognitive deficits in a great variety of cognitive functions. Interventions aimed at reducing such deficits include the use of computer-based cognitive interventions. The present work synthetizes and quantitively analyses the effect of computer-based cognitive interventions in ABI.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest and Ovid databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCT) addressing this issue. A total number of 8 randomized-controlled trials were included for systematic review and meta-analysis. Univariate meta-analyses were conducted for every cognitive function, producing aggregates when a study contributed more than one effect size per cognitive domain.

Results: Random-effects meta-analyses showed an improvement of Visual and Verbal working memory, while other domains like Attention, Processing speed, Executive functions and Memory were not benefited by the interventions.

Conclusions: Computer-based cognitive interventions might be a beneficial intervention for ABI population to improve Visual and Verbal working memory, although no effect was found in other cognitive domains. Implications and possible future directions of the research are discussed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. PRISMA flowchart of the studies included in the systematic review and meta-analysis.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Risk of bias assessment of individual studies included in the meta-analysis.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Risk of bias assessment across the studies included in the meta-analysis by the Cochrane risk of bias tool.
Represented in the X axis are the percentages of studies for every risk of bias domain.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Forest plot for the Verbal working memory cognitive domain.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Forest plot for the Visual working memory cognitive domain.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ponsford JL, Downing MG, Olver J, Ponsford M, Acher R, Carty M, et al. Longitudinal Follow-Up of Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury: Outcome at Two, Five, and Ten Years Post-Injury. Journal of Neurotrauma. 2014;31(1):64–77. 10.1089/neu.2013.2997 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sun J-H, Tan L, Yu J-T. Post-stroke cognitive impairment: epidemiology, mechanisms and management. Annals of Translational Medicine. 2014;2(8):16. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dikmen SS, Machamer JE, Powell JM, Temkin NR. Outcome 3 to 5 Years After Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury. 2003;84:9. - PubMed
    1. Park YH, Jang J-W, Park SY, Wang MJ, Lim J-S, Baek MJ, et al. Executive Function as a Strong Predictor of Recovery from Disability in Patients with Acute Stroke: A Preliminary Study. Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases. 2015;24(3):554–61. 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2014.09.033 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gustavsson A, Svensson M, Jacobi F, Allgulander C, Alonso J, Beghi E, et al. Cost of disorders of the brain in Europe 2010. European Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011;21(10):718–79. 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2011.08.008 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types