Introduction to Neurocognitive Rehabilitation
摘要
This chapter discusses the role of neuropsychology in neurological rehabilitation. Readers can obtain a brief overview of the gravity of neurocognitive deficits and the importance of rehabilitation. The chapter underscores recovering lost functions, adapting to permanent loss of certain functions due to brain trauma or degeneration, and in improving the overall well-being of the individual. The chapter discusses the theoretical frameworks that act as the foundations of neurocognitive rehabilitation, such as neuroplasticity. Core principles such as the importance of task specificity, repetition, and increasing intensity are essential components of neurorehabilitation—the shift from a deficit approach to rehabilitation to a biopsychosocial model in rehabilitation. Disease and disorder-specific needs and rehabilitation are further discussed in this chapter. Namely, the deficits in stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), dementia and its subtypes, and other psychotic conditions that indicate significant cognitive impact that require neuropsychological rehabilitation. The key focus of this chapter is to help readers gauge the neuropsychological deficits, the areas of rehabilitation and most importantly significant gaps in rehabilitation: from planning to execution where technology can be implemented. The role of artificial intelligence (AI), adaptive software, and research gaps are addressed in this chapter. The role of technological innovations in rehabilitation has vast potential that requires further research and ethically principled implementation to compensate for human error and obvious gaps in the traditional approaches. The current chapter serves the need to harness technology to ensure that the full-potential of rehabilitation is unlocked to meet complex neurocognitive needs.