Psychological interventions for managing cognitive impairment after stroke

Abstract

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: • To determine the effects of each type of psychological intervention for cognitive impairment (i.e. cognitive rehabilitation; cognitive training; psychological or behavioural interventions, or both) on cognitive outcomes for people with cognitive impairment after stroke compared with those of other non-pharmacological interventions, including usual care, non-specific activities, or other types of psychological intervention. • To compare the effects of the individual types of psychological intervention on post-stroke cognitive impairment compared with each other, namely: cognitive rehabilitation compared with the two other types of psychological intervention; cognitive training compared with the two other types of psychological intervention; and psychological or behavioural interventions, or both, compared with the two other types of psychological intervention. • To systematically explore the methods of cognitive assessment used in RCTs of post-stroke cognitive impairment. Secondary objectives include determining if psychological interventions are effective in: • improving mood, ADL, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and QoL; and • reducing the incidence of subsequent cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction or recurrent stroke, or both) and mortality, where data are available.