Abstract

PRUSOKOWSKI, Thiago S.; RINALDI, Juciclara; FRISON, Thirzá B.  and  OLIVEIRA, Alcyr A.. Neuropsychological rehabilitation in an adult patient following an anoxic brain damage. Neuropsicologia Latinoamericana [online]. 2012, vol.4, n.4, pp. 9-18. ISSN 2075-9479.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5579/rnl.2012.125.

This case study aimed to report the effects of neuropsychological rehabilitation in a patient presenting anterograde amnesia, executive dysfunction, psychomotor deficits, drowsiness, stupor, akinesia and mood disorder following an anoxic brain injury. The patient is a 36 year-old male, in his third year of treatment, which is focused in his adaptation to the daily routine, through practice of activities in a home-simulating environment. The treatment consisted of a three-hour session twice a week and, at least, one session to participate in amnesic group patients to encourage social interaction, group integration and experiences' sharing. Information regarding the patient's care was provided to family and caregivers. The techniques employed in the treatment included: reality orientation therapy, reminescence therapy, errorless learning, social skills Training and the use of external memory aids. Results were qualitatively (concerning functional and behavioral aspects) and quantitatively (regarding performance in neuropsychological tests) evaluated. The qualitative evaluation showed enhancing of spontaneous verbal communication and vocabulary, besides an increase of the frequency of socially conventional behaviors. The quantitative assessment indicated clinical stability without significant changes between initial and later evaluations. Implementation of external memory aids was partially due to the patient's initiative impairment. The observed improvements reduced the patient's care necessities, which was beneficial in terms of quality of life for the patient himself as well as for his caregivers.

Keywords : Amnesia; Neuropsychological rehabilitation; Memory; Anoxia; Executive dysfunction.

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