A randomised controlled trial of computerised cognitive cognitive rehabilitation for unilateral left neglect

Abstract

Microcomputers are widely used in cognitive rehabilitation of brain damage. Unilateral neglect is commonly a target of cognitive rehabilitation, both computer-based and non-computer-based. This study reports the results of a randomized controlled trial of computer-based rehabilitation with blind follow-up for six months. Thirty-six patients with unilateral neglect, as defined by the behavioral subtests of the Behavioural Inattention Test, were randomized into two groups. One group of 20 subjects received a mean of 15.5 (SD = 1.8) hours of computerized scanning and attentional training; the second group of 16 subjects received a mean of 11.4 (SD = 5.2) hours of recreational computing (selected to minimize scanning and timed attentional tasks). Blind follow-up at the end of training and six months after revealed no statistically or clinically significant results between groups. These findings argue against routine clinical use of this type of computerized training until further studies establish what type, frequency, and duration of training produces clinically significant changes in unilateral visual neglect if, indeed, computerized training can have an effect with this type of disorder.