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This study evaluated whether a meditation practice incorporating mobile neurofeedback (mNF) offers any advantage over a more traditional form of focused attention (FA) meditation in managing persistent symptoms after traumatic brain injury (TBI) (clinicaltrials.gov NCT02615535). Pilot randomized clinical trial, exploring feasibility of mNF in TBI. Participants included adults with chronic mood and/or cognitive complaints following mild-moderate TBI. Subjects practiced either FA (n = 10) or mNF (n = 10) meditation 12 minutes daily for 6 weeks. Pre-post intervention difference on the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI) was the primary outcome variable. Secondary outcomes included the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), amongst other scales and neurocognitive tests. No significant pre-post between-group differences were found on the NSI (p =.838) nor other assessments. In an exploratory analysis combining FA and mNF data, meditation was associated with significant improvements on the NSI (p =.04), BAI (p =.012) and BDI (p =.037). Meditating with neurofeedback does not appear to provide an advantage over meditating on one's own for chronic post-TBI symptoms. Further research on home-based meditation following TBI, whether self-directed or technologically facilitated, is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary objective: To determine test-re-test reliability of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) in a group of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Research design: Single-group repeated measures design. Methods and procedures: Seventy-five individuals with TBI were administered the HVLT-R twice, with 6-8 weeks between the two test sessions. Main outcomes and results: Test-re-test reliability on HVLT-R scoring parameters ranged from 0.537-0.818, with seven of the eight scoring parameters exhibiting r > 0.6. At re-test, scores did not significantly change on any of the eight HVLT-R scoring parameters. Conclusions: HVLT-R use with individuals with TBI is supported. Test-re-test reliability of total recall and delayed recall sub-scores was particularly high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary objective: To determine test–re-test reliability of the VIrtual Planning Test (VIP) in a group of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Research design: Single-group repeated measures design. Methods and procedures: Seventy-five individuals with TBI were administered the VIP, with 6–8 weeks between the two test sessions. Main outcomes and results: Test–re-test reliability on VIP scoring parameters—as measured by Pearson correlation coefficients—ranged from 0.341–0.855, with five of the seven scoring parameters exhibiting r > 0.6. Conclusions: Based on the findings of the current study, the VIP has overall moderate test–re-test reliability when administered to individuals with TBI. Some VIP scoring parameters, i.e. Total correct/accuracy and Total absence, demonstrated high test–re-test reliability. Others, i.e. Planning time and Total wrong order, demonstrated low test–re-test reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The rehabilitation of the traumatic brain injury (TBI) patient is especially challenging in non-western populations as the phenotypic indicators as well as the neurobehavioral assessments for the survivors of brain injury are limited. Objective: The study screened for the prevalence of anxiety and depressive states among patients with TBI and examined the validity of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to identify TBI patients with comorbid affective dysfunctions, specifically anxiety and depressive disorders, in an Omani population. Methods: Sixty-eight survivors of TBI were screened with the semi-structured, Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and the HADS. A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was calculated to discriminate the power of the HADS for every possible threshold score. Results: The semi-structured interview revealed the prevalence rate of 57.4% for depressive disorder and 50% for anxiety disorder. The sensitivity (53.8%) and specificity 75.9%, gave the best compromise using the cut-off score of 4, suggesting HADS is not a useful screening tool for this particular population. Conclusions: Phenotypic indicators as detected by CIDI revealed that prevalence of affective dysfunctionality is common among this TBI population. Although the HADS is the most widely used screening instrument in other clinical populations, it does not appear to be a reliable resource in identifying depression and anxiety in people with traumatic brain injury in Oman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives : To conduct a nationwide telephone survey in order to gather data on some of the quantifiable characteristics of home-based community integration programmes available in the US to adults with brain injury. Design : Survey. Methods : The Community Integration Programme Questionnaire (CIPQ) was used to interview 13 home-based community integration programmes. This study then used descriptive statistics to analyse the characteristics of the programmes. Outcome : There was a good deal of variability in client and programmatic characteristics. Conclusions : There is considerable variability in characteristics among home-based community integration programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary objective : To explore the relationship between a group of clinicians' own experience, training and confidence with portable electronic memory devices and their use of the same in traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation. Research design : Survey study. Methods and procedures : Eighty-one TBI clinicians from various disciplines and work settings completed a survey distributed in person or by mail. Main outcomes and results : Twenty-nine respondents (36%) reported using portable electronic memory devices with patients with TBI. Using regression analysis, respondent device training and confidence teaching patients device use were statistically associated with respondents' use of such devices in TBI rehabilitation. Conclusions : Portable electronic memory device use with persons following TBI may be under-utilized. The importance of ongoing clinician training and of maximizing clinician confidence utilizing these devices in TBI rehabilitation is emphasized. The representativeness of the respondent sample is discussed. Specific training strategies and continued research needs are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This cross-sectional study was designed to determine a cutoff score on the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) that predicts a clinician's designation of a subject with TBI as apathetic or not. Forty-five outpatients with TBI completed the AES-S, and 37 family members, friends, or significant others filled out the AES-I. Three clinicians prospectively gave their impressions of the presence or absence of apathy and retrospectively chose the degree of apathy on a 7-point subjective rating scale. The data was analysed by logistic regression and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated. No cutoff score on the AES-S or AES-I was found to have reasonable sensitivity and specificity with respect to the ability to predict the clinician's designation of a subject as apathetic. The AES requires further study if it is to be used to measure apathy following TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of depression and its association with subject characteristics in outpatients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) were investigated. Logistic regression was estimated with depressed/not-depressed as the dependent variable in 41 outpatients with TBI who filled out the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Twenty-four of 41 subjects (59%) scored in the depressed categories based on BDI-II scores >13. Fourteen (34%) scored in the moderate or severe depression categories (BDI>19). Logistic regression demonstrated a positive relationship amongst depression and age, female gender, mild TBI, and use of antidepressant and stimulant drugs; and a negative relationship between depression and violent aetiology of injury. ANOVA demonstrated that individuals with mild TBI were significantly older than those with moderate or severe TBI, which might account for the association between depression and age. The implications of these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]