Neurorehabilitation and cognitive stimulation
New research in different fields has provided a better understanding of how the brain works, as well as of the brain’s potential for recovery or modification (neuroplasticity).
Neuroscience is a field of science that studies the nervous system and how its different elements develop and interact to give rise to the biological bases of cognition and behavior. Within it we find neuropsychology, the discipline that focuses on the relationship between brain structures and human behavior, which is what concerns us here.
Until recently it was thought that human beings reached a maximum number of neurons and no more were created, or that lost neural connections could not be recovered, but thanks to neuropsychology we now know this is not the case. The brain is plastic and is continuously learning from the environment, which is why it is important to give it new stimuli, environments and learning so that it can exercise. The richer the stimulation a person has received throughout their life (education, culture, experiences, challenges…), the more likely they are to have a reserve that allows them to cope with age-related changes or respond better to a brain injury. This is known as cognitive reserve (the amount of knowledge, cognitive resources and coping strategies a person accumulates throughout their life).
Returning to the brain’s capacity to learn, this is possible thanks to neuroplasticity, the brain’s potential to change and adapt in response to experience, chemicals, hormones or injuries. It should be noted that, although the brain itself can activate neuroplastic systems, they have their limits, so it is essential to stimulate and modulate them throughout life. When we are healthy we can do this ourselves by learning new things, looking after our social relationships, reading, traveling…, but when there is a pathology, an appropriate therapeutic intervention focused on the particular needs of each case is essential. In this way, the professional will take advantage of this capacity of the brain to reorganize itself, creating and strengthening neural connections, to achieve recovery, either partial or even complete, after neuronal damage due, for example, to a stroke or a traumatic brain injury, so common nowadays. They will also take it into account when treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or multiple sclerosis since, although the decline cannot be reversed, it can be significantly slowed down.
Professional intervention: Rehabilitation and cognitive stimulation
The main goal of both is the same, to help people have the best possible quality of life for as long as possible, but we will speak of one or the other depending on the condition we want to treat.
Neuropsychological rehabilitation
Neuropsychological rehabilitation includes different learning and training techniques so that the person recovers, as far as possible, the lost abilities and develops new ones needed to achieve the highest possible level of functionality and independence, at the physical, psychological and social adaptation levels. It is aimed at people who have suffered brain damage or have neurodevelopmental disorders, intellectual disability or mental illness, among other conditions.
Cognitive stimulation
Cognitive stimulation uses similar techniques but with the aim of slowing cognitive decline and maintaining and strengthening preserved abilities for as long as possible. It is applied in neurodegenerative diseases and normal aging.
Both must meet three basic premises:
– Be prescribed and supervised by a professional: the role of a properly trained and experienced professional is essential when designing, monitoring and adapting any neuropsychological intervention, which will cover the cognitive sphere, the emotional sphere, the psychosocial sphere and the daily functioning of each person in the most appropriate way.
– Personalization: each therapeutic intervention must be unique and tailored, since it depends on factors as diverse as the type of impairment or the personal characteristics and circumstances of the person.
– Ecological validity and generalization: there must be a relationship between the improvement in the skills trained in the clinic and better performance in day-to-day activities. In addition, the results produced by training on certain tasks must also show on other similar tasks, demonstrating that what has really improved is the underlying function.
Which conditions can be worked on with NeuronUP?
It has been shown that the brain is a dynamic organ capable of undergoing considerable changes after injury or environmental changes. Because of this, great importance is currently given to providing effective rehabilitation in cases of brain injury, or appropriate stimulation to slow down the cognitive decline typical of some conditions.
The main fields that can benefit from neurorehabilitation and cognitive stimulation with NeuronUP are:
Acquired brain injury
Acquired brain injury is an injury to brain cells that occurs after birth. It may have different causes and, depending on where the damage is located, different processes will be affected. It should also be noted that it does not affect a developing brain (children) in the same way as a fully developed brain (adults).
Neurodegenerative diseases
They are caused by the progressive death of neurons in different regions of the nervous system. This progressive loss of nerve cells is what causes the neurological and neuropsychological signs and symptoms characteristic of each of them.
Neurodevelopmental disorders
A child’s brain is not a miniature replica of an adult brain but a brain in continuous development, sometimes growing at a dizzying pace, and subject to countless changes and connections due to the constant stimulation provided by the environment in which it develops.
Intellectual disability
It is characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, which appear during the developmental period (it is a neurodevelopmental disorder, but we have considered it appropriate to give it a separate category).
Mental illness
The two main ones in which cognitive decline is observed are:
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder, a complex personality disorder that produces distortions in thinking, behavior and the perception of reality.
Bipolar disorder
It is characterized by mood swings, with mania at one extreme and depression at the other. Depending on the number and intensity of the episodes, there are several types of this disorder.
Normal aging
Aging is an integral and natural part of life, but not everyone goes through this process in the same way. How we age and how we experience this process, as well as our health and functional capacity, depend both on our genetic makeup and on the environment that has surrounded us throughout our lives: what we have done, the kinds of things we have encountered, how and where we have lived, etc.
Goals of rehabilitation and cognitive stimulation
As we said earlier, the main goal of both rehabilitation and cognitive stimulation is to help people have the best possible quality of life for as long as possible. This concept is directly related to functional autonomy, which is characterized by:
- Being independent in activities of daily living, such as doing the shopping, cooking, maintaining personal hygiene, managing finances…
- Receiving family and social support to relate appropriately to the environment.
- Being able to maintain an acceptable state of health, doing physical exercise according to one’s abilities and eating well.
- Having tools for appropriate emotional management, learning to control anxiety, stress and different moods.
