Efficacy of a Multidisciplinary Cognitive Rehabilitation for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Background and Aim: Background: Neurodegenerative disease result in neuron death, this could be split into neuro, meaning brain, and degenerative, meaning breaking down, or dying. Neurodegenerative diseases are a great example of the devastating effects of miscommunications between brain cells. These diseases can influence an individual's movement, speech, memory, intelligence and executive function. Neurodegenerative disease is an umbrella term for a wide range of disorders with one common aspect, they are all characterized by a progressive loss of neurons in the brain (cerebrum) and the spinal cord, as a result of which memory and motor skills. The most common neurodegenerative diseases include Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's and Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy; all these diseases require multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs. Some studies have been published assessing the efficacy of cognitive treatments on improving cognition, functional outcome, and producing changes in brain activity. Methods: Results. After exclusions, ۱۶ studies were reviewed, including ۸ randomized controlled trials for the efficacy on cognition, ۴ randomized controlled trials regarding the brain changes after cognitive training, and ۶ studies which evaluated the long-term effects of cognitive treatments. Results Objective. A critical review was performed to present up-to-date effects of multidisciplinary cognitive rehabilitation in neurodegenerative diseases, with special emphasis on the efficacy on multifunctional stimulation program on cognition, brain changes, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and quality of life in patients. Conclusion: Conclusions. Multidisciplinary cognitive rehabilitation programs have demonstrated to be effective on multidisciplinary cognitive rehabilitation to improving cognitive functions, but more research is needed focusing on the multidisciplinary cognitive rehabilitation and brain changes in patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, there is a need of randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up periods. In future protocols, these rehabilitation modalities might be merged to guarantee the best use of financial and human resources.

Keywords:

multidisciplinary cognitive rehabilitation , neurodegenerative diseases