Neurorehabilitation and cognitive stimulation
New investigations in different areas have provided an improved understanding of how the brain works; such as the possibility of the brain’s own recuperation or modification (neuroplasticity).
It has been shown that the brain is a dynamic organ capable of undergoing considerable modifications after suffering injuries or environmental changes. Due to this, great importance is currently being given to provide effective rehabilitation in cases of acquired brain injury and adequate stimulation to slow cognitive deterioration characteristic of certain pathologies.
The main areas that can benefit from neurorehabilitation and cognitive stimulation are:
Acquired Brain Injury
An acquired brain injury is an injury to brain cells that occurs after birth. It can be due to various causes and depending on where the damage is located, one or more processes will be affected. Also, a developing brain (children) would not be affected as would that of a fully developed brain (adults).
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Neurodegenerative diseases are caused by the progressive death of neurons in different regions of the nervous system. The progressive loss of nerve cells is what gives rise to the neurological and neuropsychological signs and symptoms characteristic of each of these disorders.
Cognitive stimulation is the appropriate intervention in these cases. While the progression of these diseases is inevitable, cognitive and functional deterioration can be slowed.
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
A child’s brain is not a miniature replica of an adult brain, but rather a brain in continual development, growing, at times tremendously, subject to endless modifications and connections due to the continual stimulation provided by the environment in which it develops.
Intellectual Disability
It is characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior which manifests during the developmental period (it is a neurodevelopmental disorder, but we deemed it appropriate to devote a separate category to it).
Mental Illness
The two main types in which cognitive impairment is observed are:
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder, a complex personality disorder that produces distortions in thought, behavior and perception of reality.
Bipolar Disorder
This is characterized by fluctuations in mood, manifesting mania at one extreme and depression at the other. Depending on the number of events and the intensity thereof, this disorder has several types.
Normal Aging
Aging is an integral and natural part of life, but not everyone goes through this process in the same way. Our health and functional ability influence the way we age and how we live out this process. Both are dependent upon the genetic and environmental structure that has surrounded us throughout our lives: what we have done, what experiences we have had to face, how and where we have lived, etc.
