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Adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) are reported to have heightened risk of cognitive impairment, notably mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Reports of increased risk of MCI are almost exclusively based on cross-sectional assessments of cognitive function using norm-referenced scores. Norm-referenced single-point assessments do not reflect cognitive decline at the individual level but rather represent between group differences in cognitive function. The practice of relying solely on norm-referenced assessment to study MCI after SCI is therefore problematic as it lends to potential misclassification of MCI. Premorbid intelligence estimates permit comparison of people's actual versus expected cognitive function and thereby can be used to validate the presence of genuine cognitive decline. These are not utilized in the assessment of MCI after SCI. This study simulated data for 500,000 adults with SCI to compare norm-referenced and premorbid-intelligence methods of screening for MCI to examine the potential extent of MCI misclassification after SCI resulting from the overreliance on norm-referenced methods and exclusion of premorbid intelligence methods. One in five to one in 13 simulated adults with SCI were potentially misclassified as having MCI showing that measures of premorbid cognitive function must be included in assessment of cognitive function after SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe neurological injury that results in damage to multiple bodily systems. SCI rehabilitation requires a significant focus on improving adjustment to the injury. This paper presents a detailed description of the Spinal Cord Injury Adjustment Model (SCIAM), which clarifies how individuals adjust to SCI and contends that adjustment to SCI is a multifactorial process involving non-linear dynamic adaptation over time. Evidence supporting SCIAM is also discussed. Mediation analyses were conducted to test the mediator dynamics proposed by the model. The analyses tested the relationship between two moderators (self-care and secondary health conditions), mediators (two self-efficacy items and appraisal of quality of life or QoL), and positive versus negative vitality/mental health as outcomes. Results showed that higher self-efficacy and perceived QoL was related to greater independence in self-care and reduced negative impacts of secondary health conditions. This study supported the mediation role of self-efficacy and other appraisals such as perceived QoL in enhancing self-care and buffering the negative impact of health challenges. In conclusion, it is important to employ a holistic model such as SCIAM to conceptualise and increase understanding of the process of adjustment following a severe neurological injury such as SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) following spinal cord injury (SCI) is vital. However, there are no neurocognitive screens which have been developed specifically to meet the unique requirements for SCI, nor are there consistent MCI criteria applied to determine the rates of MCI. The aim of this study was to determine the suitability of a neurocognitive screen for assessing MCI in adults with SCI. A total of 127 participants were recruited. Socio-demographic and injury related variables were assessed. All participants completed the screen. Descriptive statistics are provided for total/domain screen scores and all items, and the screen's ability to distinguish MCI was examined. Congeneric confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were employed to investigate structural validity. The screen total score was sensitive to differences in neurocognitive capacity, as well as for time since the injury occurred (p < 0.01). The MCI rate ranged between 17–36%. CFA revealed attention and visuoconstruction domains had an adequate model fit and executive function had poor fit, while CFA models for memory and language did not fit the data (did not converge), hence could not be determined. While the screen differentiated between those with MCI and those without, and MCI as a function of time since injury, limitations of its suitability for assessing MCI after SCI exist, demonstrating the need for a specialized neurocognitive screen for adults with SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuropathic pain in people with spinal cord injury is thought to be due to altered central neuronal activity. A novel therapeutic intervention using virtual reality (VR) head-mounted devices was investigated in this study for pain relief. Given the potential links to neuronal activity, the aim of the current study was to determine whether use of VR was associated with corresponding changes in electroencephalography (EEG) patterns linked to the presence of neuropathic pain. Using a within-subject, randomised cross-over pilot trial, we compared EEG activity for three conditions: no task eyes open state, 2D screen task and 3D VR task. We found an increase in delta activity in frontal regions for 3D VR with a decrease in theta activity. There was also a consistent decrease in relative alpha band (8–12 Hz) and an increase in low gamma (30–45 Hz) power during 2D screen and 3D VR corresponding, with reduced self-reported pain. Using the nonlinear and non-oscillatory method of extracting fractal dimensions, we found increases in brain complexity during 2D screen and 3D VR. We successfully classified the 3D VR condition from 2D screen and eyes opened no task conditions with an overall accuracy of 80.3%. The findings in this study have implications for using VR applications as a therapeutic intervention for neuropathic pain in people with spinal cord injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major goals of rehabilitation and health interventions in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) are to improve functional independence, increase social participation, and enhance quality of life (QOL). Determining functional areas perceived by consumers as most important can assist in research prioritization, planning for delivery of health services, and policy development. Five high priority areas of functioning for the SCI population (arm/hand use, walking, bladder/bowel control, sexual function, and relief of pain) were chosen to determine the preferences for these five attributes. A discrete choice experiment was conducted involving 151 persons with SCI sampled from Australia and the United States of America. Consistent with prior research, arm/hand function had the highest preference, with odds ratios of subjects being 44-76% more likely to choose arm/hand function over the other four functions. Preference for normal arm/hand function was found to be significantly more preferred by the group with paraplegia compared with those with tetraplegia; that is, retaining and not trading off existing arm/hand function for other improved functions. There were no significant differences found in preferences between bladder/bowel function and walking or elimination of pain, although walking was preferred in earlier (≤10) post-injury years and pain amelioration became more important with a longer duration (>10 years) post-injury. Sexual function had the lowest preference when traded against the other four functions. Understanding the functional preferences of persons with SCI will help to inform future research design, as well as enabling successful translation of research into practice and health policy, meeting the needs of people with SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research and development has been conducted on a "hands-free" brain wave activity (electroencephalography-based) assistive technology device called the Mind Switch. It has been designed to provide a severely disabled person (such as someone with tetraplegia) with the ability to switch using their brain activity and thus activate devices in the environment. An area of concern has been the time it takes to complete set-up of the system before individual use, as well as the occurrence of errors in switching rates. In order to improve the user friendliness of the system, this study compared the efficacy of detecting electroencephalography (EEG) changes in brain signals that occur with eye closure and used as a "switch", with two different methods of processing the EEG. Using data from spinal cord injured participants, fractal analysis, that is, the change in fractal dimension of the EEG wave during eye closure was compared to the original method of using spectral analysis change. In comparison to the spectral technique, the fractal dimension technique improved set up time, and was substantially improved in reducing the number of false positive and false negative errors when activating the device. Furthermore, the time to switch was also marginally reduced when using fractal dimension processing. Implications for improving the viability of an EEG based environmental control system for the severely neurologically injured are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An assistive technology developed for "hands free" control of electrical devices to be used by severely impaired people within their environment, relies upon using signal processing techniques for analyzing eyes closed (EC) and eyes open (EO) states in the electroencephalography (EEG) signal. Here, we apply a signal processing technique used in continuous chaotic modeling to investigate differences in the EEG time series between EC and EO states. This method is used to detect the degree of variability from a second-order difference plot, and quantifying this using a central tendency measures. The study used EEG time series of EO and EC states from 33 able-bodied and 17 spinal cord injured participants. The results found an increased EEG variability in brain activity during EC compared to EO. This increased EEG variability occurred in the O2 electrode, which overlays the primary visual cortex V1, and could be a result of the replacement of the coherent information obtained during EO by noise. A continuous measure of the variability was then used to demonstrate that this technique has the potential to be used as a switching mechanism for assistive technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is believed to place the individual at a high risk of psychological disorder. The objective of this paper was to examine the relationship between SCI and negative psychological states by comparing levels of negative psychological states in SCI and able-bodied controls. Participants included 33 people with SCI who had completed their inpatient rehabilitation (that is, when living in the community) and 33 able-bodied controls matched for age and sex. In order to determine levels of negative psychological states, the Profile of Mood States and the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory were completed by all participants. The SCI group was found to have raised levels of psychopathology, with 20% having elevated negative psychological states typical of people with a psychiatric disorder. People with SCI have an increased risk of suffering debilitating levels of psychopathology. Future research needs to investigate psychosocial rehabilitation strategies for lowering negative psychological states such as depressive mood in people with SCI after they have completed their rehabilitation program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive impairment is common in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), impacting their daily functioning and rehabilitation. This study assesses the extent of self-reported cognitive failures in everyday life in persons with SCI and its relationships with objective neurocognitive measures and psychosocial factors, including depressive mood, anxiety, perceived control, and fatigue. The differences between forty-one adults with a chronic SCI and forty-one able-bodied controls were examined. The participants completed the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) to assess cognitive failure and neurocognitive tests assessing attention and executive functions, as well as a psychosocial assessment. The SCI group reported higher cognitive failure rates than the able-bodied group (31.7% versus 19%, p > 0.05). Objective neurocognitive tests did not significantly correlate with the CFQ scores in either group. However, the CFQ scores were positively associated with most psychosocial factors, even after controlling for covariates. The CFQ scores were significantly associated with depressive mood in persons with SCI. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating self-reported cognitive measures into neurocognitive assessments and rehabilitation planning for adults with SCI. Self-reports capture everyday cognitive challenges that objective tests may miss. Additionally, this study highlights the strong connections between cognitive failures and psychosocial issues, particularly mood disorders, emphasizing the need for comprehensive rehabilitation and psychosocial support post-SCI, addressing both cognitive and emotional wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a common secondary condition associated with spinal cord injury (SCI). Cognitive reserve (CR) is believed to protect against cognitive decline and can be assessed by premorbid intelligence (pmIQ). Despite the potential utility of pmIQ as a complementary metric in the evaluation of MCI in SCI, this approach has been infrequently employed. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between MCI and pmIQ in adults with SCI with the aim of exploring the potential value of pmIQ as a marker of CR in this population. Methods: Cognitive function was assessed on three occasions in adults with SCI over a 12-month period post-injury, and pmIQ was assessed once at baseline. Demographic and mental health measures were also collected, and logistic regression was conducted to determine the strength of association between pmIQ and MCI while adjusting for factors such as mental health and age. Results: The regression analysis revealed that at the time of admission to SCI rehabilitation, the MCI assessed by a valid neurocognitive screen was strongly associated with pmIQ. That is, if a person has MCI, there was 5.4 greater odds (p < 0.01) that they will have poor pmIQ compared to a person without MCI after adjustment for age and mental health. Conclusions: The assessment of CR is an important area that should be considered to improve the process of diagnosing MCI in adults with an acute SCI and potentially facilitate earlier intervention to slow or prevent cognitive decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is believed to be associated with high rates of cognitive impairment, which can result in complications in recovery. This study concerned two groups of adults with SCI. The first sample involved 150 participants with SCI who were assessed once for cognitive capacity with comparisons made with 45 able-bodied adults. Sample 2 were drawn from Sample 1, and included 88 participants with SCI who were prospectively assessed for mood states (anxiety, depressive mood, and fatigue) and pain intensity at three time periods: at admission to SCI rehabilitation, at discharge, and 6 months after transition into the community. Results showed that the SCI sample had significantly lower cognitive performance than the able-bodied control group. Further, almost 29% of the adults with SCI had lowered cognitive performance believed to be indicative of cognitive impairment. The risk of an adult with SCI having cognitive impairment was almost 13 times that of someone without an SCI. Results from Sample 2 revealed that the development of negative mood states was a significant problem in those with cognitive impairment after they transitioned into the community, a time when personal resources are severely challenged. Findings suggest all adults with SCI admitted to rehabilitation should receive a cognitive screen, and that rehabilitation strategies should then be guided by the cognitive performance of the person. Special attention should also be given to improving skills of those with cognitive impairment before they transition into the community, so as to reduce risk of comorbid mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine change in resilience in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) when group cognitive behavior therapy (GCBT) was added to routine psychosocial rehabilitation (RPR). Research Method/ Design: A prospective repeated-measures cohort design was used to determine the efficacy of the addition of GCBT (n = 50). The control group consisted of individuals receiving RPR. which included access to individual CBT (ICBT) when required (n = 38). Groups were assessed on 3 occasions: soon after admission, within 2 weeks of discharge, and 6-months postdischarge. Measures included sociodemographic, injury, and psychosocial factors. The outcome variable was resilience, considered an important outcome measure for recovery. To adjust for baseline differences in self-efficacy, depressive mood and anxiety between the 2 groups, these factors were entered into a repeated measures multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) as covariates. Latent class analysis was used to determine the best-fitting model of resilience trajectories for both groups. Results: The MANCOVA indicated that the addition of GCBT to psychosocial rehabilitation did not result in improved resilience compared with the ICBT group. Trajectory data indicated over 60% were demonstrating acceptable resilience irrespective of group. Conclusion/Implications: Changes in resilience mean scores suggest the addition of GCBT adds little to resilience outcomes. Latent class modeling indicated both groups experienced similar trajectories of improvement and deterioration. Results highlight the importance of conducting multivariate modeling analysis that isolates subgroups of related cases over time to understand complex trajectories. Further research is needed to clarify individual differences in CBT intervention preference as well as other factors which impact on resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a catastrophic event that may result in diminished physical, social, and mental health. The main objective of this research was to establish inpatient factors that contribute to social participation following discharge into the community.Design: Prospective longitudinal design with measures taken three times, soon after admission to rehabilitation (N = 88), at discharge from the inpatient phase (N = 81) and 6 months following discharge (N = 71).Methods: Participants included adults with SCI admitted into three SCI units over a 33-month period. Assessment included demographic, injury, and psychosocial health measures. Adjustment was defined by the extent of social re-integration or participation post-discharge after 6 months in the community. Social participation was measured by the Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire (IPAQ). Logistic regression models were used to establish inpatient factors that significantly predicted social participation 6 months post-discharge.Results: Six months after discharge, around 55% of the sample had difficulties with social participation. The odds against being employed for an adult with poor social participation was found to be 8.4 to 1. Factors that predicted social participation included a younger age, having less severe secondary medical complications like bladder and bowel dysfunction, having a higher cognitive capacity, perceiving one has control (self-efficacy) over one's life and environment, and having greater perceived social support.Conclusions: These results provide direction for enhancing existing psychosocial health strategies within SCI rehabilitation, affording an opportunity for every person who sustains a permanent SCI to have optimal capacity for social participation. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with significant challenges to wellbeing, including a high risk of secondary chronic illnesses, risk of co-morbid mental health problems, financial insecurity and social isolation. Research has shown poor social participation can lead to problems in re-integration into society following discharge from inpatient rehabilitation. Research to date has examined various factors related to poor social participation, but the majority of this research has been survey based with convenience samples. What does this study add? This study adds results of prospective longitudinal research on adjustment following SCI, where adjustment was defined by the rate of social participation when living in the community. About one-third of SCI participants were found to have very poor social participation, and only one-third had found some form of employment 6 months after discharge. Multiple factors were found to predict and contribute to poor social participation, including older age when injured, more severe medical complications, cognitive deficits, poor perceptions of control or self-efficacy, and poor social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Spinal cord injury (SCI) can be accompanied by chronic pain, the mechanisms for which are poorly understood. Here we report that magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements from the brain, collected at 3T, and processed using wavelet-based feature extraction and classification algorithms, can identify biochemical changes that distinguish control subjects from subjects with SCI as well as subdividing the SCI group into those with and without chronic pain. The results from control subjects (n=10) were compared to those with SCI (n=10). The SCI cohort was made up of subjects with chronic neuropathic pain (n=5) and those without chronic pain (n=5). The wavelet-based decomposition of frequency domain MRS signals employs statistical significance testing to identify features best suited to discriminate different classes. Moreover, the features benefit from careful attention to the post-processing of the spectroscopy data prior to the comparison of the three cohorts. The spectroscopy data, from the thalamus, best distinguished control subjects without SCI from those with SCI with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.9 (Percentage of Correct Classification). The spectroscopy data obtained from the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex both distinguished between SCI subjects with chronic neuropathic pain and those without pain with a sensitivity and specificity of 1.0. In this study, where two underlying mechanisms co-exist (i.e. SCI and pain), the thalamic changes appear to be linked more strongly to SCI, while the anterior cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortex changes appear to be specifically linked to the presence of pain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Studies report rates of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in spinal cord injury (SCI) range between 10 and 60%. This broad estimate of MCI in SCI is most likely a result of: (i) inconsistent operationalization of MCI; (ii) heterogeneity among individuals with SCI; (iii) failure to account for MCI subtypes, thereby adding to the heterogeneity of samples; and, (iv) poor control for traumatic brain injury (TBI) that obscures differentiation of MCI attributable to TBI versus other factors. There is a paucity of longitudinal studies following the course of MCI in SCI, and none that account for multiple predictors of MCI, including interactions among predictors.Methods: An inception cohort longitudinal study will assess approximately 100 individuals aged 17-80 years with acute SCI, with measures taken at three timepoints (baseline, 3 months post-baseline, and 12 months post-injury). Data relevant to medical care received within the first 24-48 h of presentation to the emergency department will be analysed, as will measures of cognition, injury characteristics, medical history, personal factors, psychological status, psychosocial functioning, and quality of life. Latent class mixture modelling will determine trajectories for the primary outcome of interest, cognitive functioning and its subtypes, and secondary outcomes of interest such as depression. Multiple regression analyses will identify predictors of MCI and its subtypes.Discussion: The prospective design will reveal change in cognitive functioning across time and unveil different outcome trajectories; thus addressing the lack of knowledge on trajectories of MCI and MCI subtypes in SCI. Through subtyping MCI, we hope to yield groups of cognitively impaired individuals with SCI that are potentially more homogenous and thereby stable and predictable. This is the first study to capture emergency department and acute care diagnostic evidence of mild TBI, which has been poorly controlled in previous studies. Our study will also be the first to distinguish the contribution of TBI from other factors to the development of MCI in individuals with SCI.Trial Registration: The study was prospectively registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ( ACTRN12619001702101 ) on 3rd December 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]