Article

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has brought about advances in the
fields of brain plasticity and lifespan brain change, that might be of special
interest for cognitive rehabilitation research and, eventually, in clinical
practice. Parallel, intensive cognitive training studies show promising results
for the prospect of retraining some of the impaired functioning following
acquired brain injury. OBJECTIVES: However, cognitive training research is
largely performed without concurrent assessments of brain structural change and
reorganization, which could have addressed possible mechanisms of
training-related neuroplasticity. METHODS: Criticism of cognitive training
studies is often focused on lack of ecologically valid, daily-living assessments
of treatment effect, and on whether the applied cognitive measures overlap too
much with the training exercises. Yet, the present paper takes another point of
view, where the relevance of recent MRI research of brain plasticity to the field
of cognitive rehabilitation is examined. RESULTS: Arguably, treatment ought to be
measured at the same level of the International Classification of Functioning,
Disability and Health model, as it is targeting. In the case of cognitive
training that will be the "body structure" and "body function" levels.
CONCLUSIONS: MRI has shown promise to detect macro- and microstructural
activity-related changes in the brain following intensive training.

Langue : ANGLAIS