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Understanding Cognitive Rehabilitation:
Physical Therapy for the Brain

People who sustain brain injuries, strokes, or have neurological conditions such as Lyme disease often have changes in thinking, concentrating, remembering, organizing, sequencing, and carrying out tasks that were once quite basic in their daily life. These changes are often disruptive in a person’s daily life. An individual and/or family member(s) may experience increased frustration and depression. There is, however, treatment for those afflicted with these changes. Cognitive rehabilitation may be characterized as “physical therapy for the brain.” Treatment aims to remediate problems by relearning (or learning) cognitive skills.

There are three main aspects of cognitive rehabilitation:

• Skills practice; in which the person works to re-learn through repetition and overlearning.
• Developing a mastery of new skills and generalizing these from sessions to activities of daily living.
• Neurofeedback; training brain waves via feedback that an individual sees immediately on a computer screen.

Specific, realistic and concrete goals for each person are established. Most goals depend on what problem(s) the person has and on results obtained from a neuropsychological examination. In all aspects of cognitive rehabilitation, the use of structure is vital. Overwhelming problems are broken down into smaller, more manageable ones. Sessions are designed to be as meaningful as possible for each individual. Helping family members understand the nature of the problems and techniques being utilized is also important. This ensures that strategies are transferred from session to daily life.

By minimizing the impact problems have in daily life, many individuals with brain injury, stroke, or other neurological conditions can lead productive lives.

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Mark Herceg, PhD, is a neuropsychologist affiliated with Norwalk Hospital. His specialty is in the treatment of neurological disorders via cognitive rehabilitation. For more information, contact Neuropsychology Consultants at 203-855-9691.