Cognitive Rehabilitation of Blast Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

The most common impairments following blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) are cognitive deficits in the domain of executive functioning, learning and memory, and functional and psychosocial disabilities that are closely related to these cognitive deficits. There are no treatment protocols available to address the multiple cognitive impairments in bTBI, but cognitive rehabilitation has proven efficacious in the treatment of non-blast TBI. The cognitive training modules the investigators plan to evaluate have improved organization and memory function in patients with non-blast TBI, but it is unknown whether their efficacy exceeds that of programs that focus only on education and support. This study is a between group comparison of a cognitive rehabilitation treatment designed specifically to address the most common cognitive complaints in executive and memory function, and an active control group receiving educational intervention geared at personal management of TBI-related symptoms.

Inclusion criteria

• Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) active-duty personnel or Veterans exposed to blast
• Meets criteria for mild TBI
• loss of consciousness (LOC) of 30 min or less
• Age: 21- 50

Exclusion criteria

• Evidence of penetrating head injury
• History of previous neurological diagnosis
• History of previous psychotic disorder prior to the blast exposure
• Hearing or vision impairment