The effects of plasticity-based cognitive rehabilitation on resting-state functional connectivity in chronic traumatic brain injury: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in chronic impairments to cognitive function, and these may be related to disrupted functional connectivity (FC) of the brain at rest.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate changes in default mode network (DMN) FC in adults with chronic TBI following 40 hours of auditory processing speed training.

METHODS

Eleven adults with chronic TBI underwent 40-hours of auditory processing speed training over 13-weeks and seven adults with chronic TBI were assigned to a non-intervention control group. For all participants, resting-state FC and cognitive and self-reported function were measured at baseline and at a follow-up visit 13-weeks later.

RESULTS

No significant group differences in cognitive function or resting-state FC were observed at baseline. Following training, the intervention group demonstrated objective and subjective improvements on cognitive measures with moderate-to-large effect sizes. Repeated measures ANCOVAs revealed significant (p < 0.001) group×time interactions, suggesting training-related changes in DMN FC, and semipartial correlations demonstrated that these were associated with changes in cognitive functioning.

CONCLUSIONS

Changes in the FC between the DMN and other resting-state networks involved in the maintenance and manipulation of internal information, attention, and sensorimotor functioning may be facilitated through consistent participation in plasticity-based auditory processing speed training in adults with chronic TBI.