Military/Veterans

The art and science of cognitive rehabilitation therapy
There is a growing need for Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy (CRT) due to the huge influx of soldiers returning from war zones with brain injuries, athletes with sports-related head injuries, and the growing population with age-related cognitive decline. This special collection of articles in NeuroRehabilitation illustrates the art and science of restoring mental functioning in those who have suffered a debilitating injury or who may otherwise have problems with attention, comprehension, learning, remembering, problem solving, reasoning, and processing. Eurekalert!

Posttraumatic stress disorder and cognitive function: findings from the mind your heart study
In this cohort of veterans under age 65 years without known neurologic disease, patients with versus without PTSD had significantly poorer performance in several domains of cognitive function, particularly in tests involving processing speed, executive function, and learning. These cognitive deficits were largely explained by modifiable risk factors. Interventions targeted at these risk factors might minimize the impact of PTSD on cognitive decline and dementia risk as patients age. Cohen BE, Neylan TC, Yaffe K, Samuelson KW, Li Y, Barnes DE. J Clin Psychiatry. 2013 Nov;74(11):1063-70. PMID: 24330891