Individuals living with neurological conditions often face chronic issues including motor and sensory impairments and cognitive deficits. These challenges can lead to significant psychological difficulties, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a psychotherapeutic approach which aims to enhance psychological flexibility and acceptance while promoting behavioural change. Although ACT groups have shown promise in supporting individuals with neurological conditions, the evidence on patients' experiences of attending them is sparse. This project explored the experiences of individuals with a range of neurological conditions who had attended ACT group sessions as part of routine clinical practice, with the aim to refine future iterations of the intervention and enhancing patient care. Ten individual qualitative semi-structured interviews were carried out and the data were analysed thematically. Three overarching themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Initial Barriers to Group Attendance and Engagement; (2) Building an Environment of Acceptance; (3) Developing an ACT toolkit. Overall, the results showed that the ACT group intervention led participants to develop stronger emotional connectedness, better knowledge of their difficulties, more effective psychological skills, and different mindsets regarding their condition. Implications for the refinement of future ACT groups, neuropsychological service development, and clinical practice are discussed.

ABSTRACT Prosopagnosia is a neurological disorder; characterized by an impairment in facial recognition. It can occur from acquired prosopagnosia (occurring in approximately 5.6% of the population), or from developmental prosopagnosia (occurring in approximately 2% of the population). Despite the relatively high prevalence of prosopagnosia, there has been limited research into intervention for this condition. The current systematic review aimed to review the evidence base to aid the development of practice guidelines for clinicians working with impacted individuals. A systemic search identified 14 studies, 10 of which involved participants with developmental prosopagnosia, while the remaining studies involved participants with acquired prosopagnosia. Overall, the findings identified two strategies which produced significant improvement in face recognition in prosopagnosics. The first strategy involved a perceptual learning strategy (a restorative approach). While this strategy improved face processing abilities, the intervention was time-consuming and relied on specific software. The second strategy involved learned association of distinguishable facial features (a compensatory approach). This intervention produced improvements in face recognition and was quick to administer, however, the gains made were not generalisable to untrained faces. The current review identified a number of limitations in the existing literature, such as the lack of single-case experimental designs and randomized controlled trials, limited control for practice effects, and no consensus with regard to the assessment and diagnosis of prosopagnosia. This review highlighted the need for further research to inform practice guidelines.

ABSTRACT Experiences of loss and change following acquired brain injury (ABI) are frequent and multi-contextual, yet the long-term experiences of people with ABI are not well understood. This study explored the experiences of intrapersonal loss, grief and change in people with ABI, a decade after their injury. Twelve adults with ABI were interviewed 10–13 years post-injury. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, we identified four overarching themes: a dawning realization of the impact of injury; loss of personhood; loss and liminality; and learning to live with loss and grief. Our findings indicate that in the decade following ABI, people continue to develop awareness of the impact of their injury and experience oscillating acceptance towards enforced changes. Participants reported a diminished sense of agency and autonomy in how they were perceived by and interacted with following injury. Additionally, identity may be lost, suspended, and renegotiated. Findings suggest dynamic, active, and flexible coping strategies that continue to be present over the long term. Considering the persistent nature of the injury and the evolving needs of the individual, a longer term view of rehabilitation outcomes may be required, contextualised by relational and intrapersonal challenges that may present over the longer term.

ABSTRACT Stigma represents a major obstacle in rehabilitation and community reintegration after brain injury. However, appropriate tools to measure stigma in Spanish-speaking countries are lacking. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Anticipated Stigma and Concealment Questionnaire (ASCQ). An observational cross-sectional study was conducted with 103 participants who completed the ASCQ and other measures. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were performed to assess the scale's structure. Associations between the ASCQ and other mental health measures were explored to establish its nomological validity. All ASCQ items loaded significantly onto a single factor, with factor loadings ranging from .7 to .84. While χ 2 (35) = 56.282, p < .05, some fit indices indicated excellent model fit (CFI = .997 and TLI = .996), while others suggested a good fit (RMSEA = .077, 90% CI [.036, .113], and SRMR = .060). Significant associations were found between the ASCQ and measures of loneliness, depressive symptoms, quality of life, and self-esteem. The ASCQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing anticipated stigma and the motivation to conceal information after acquired brain injury. It can aid rehabilitation professionals in identifying individuals with interpersonal difficulties during community reintegration.

ABSTRACT In the clinical context of stroke, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a crucial patient-reported outcome measure that is frequently used to assess the effectiveness of neurorehabilitation programs. Despite its significance, the absence of a stroke-specific quality-of-life instrument translated into Romanian and validated for use in Romanian stroke patients, including those with aphasia, presents a notable gap in current research. This study briefly describes the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 g (SAQOL-39 g) into Romanian (RO-SAQOL-39 g). Subsequently, the results of a prospective cohort study on psychometric validation of the RO-SAQOL-39 g are presented. In enrolled stroke patients, measures such as the Barthel Index, HRQOL, and indices of stroke severity including NIHSS, MRC scale for Muscle Strength, and mRS were used. The RO-SAQOL-39 g exhibited excellent reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.95 for total score) and repeatability (ICC = 0.96). Moreover, the RO-SAQOL-39 g demonstrated utility as a metric of stroke burden in differentiating between mild and moderate-to-severe stroke, as assessed by NIHSS scores (p = 0.004). In summary, the RO-SAQOL-39 g exhibits promising attributes as a tool for assessing HRQOL in post-stroke individuals.

ABSTRACT Considering the implications of executive function (EF) in the core symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), further research is required on strategies such as therapies, treatments, and rehabilitation programs focused on improving EF. This study aimed to assess the potential of an EF training program called “Braingame Brian” in improving working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility in children with ADHD. The programme was developed in the Netherlands and has been shown to be effective in pilot studies of ADHD populations conducted in this country. However, it has not been used before in the Spanish-speaking population. A total of 41 children (aged 8–12 years) were assigned to the EF training or waitlist control groups. The intervention consisted of a 25-session training programme of approximately 45 min per day for nine consecutive weeks. Treatment outcomes were assessed using cognitive tasks of the trained EF, as well as evaluations of EF behaviors by parents and teachers. The initial findings suggest that the implementation of the Braingame Brian programme may be associated with improvements in working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility. These preliminary results also indicate the potential for enhancements in parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of EF difficulties in children with ADHD.

ABSTRACT Concussions are commonly occurring injuries in sport. The short-term impacts of concussions, including symptoms and recovery trajectories, often are the focus of concussion research. However, limited studies have explored the long-term consequences of concussions, especially in adolescents. The purpose of this study was to explore adults’ experiences with concussions sustained during their adolescence (5-15 years prior). This qualitative study was guided by an interpretivist philosophy. Twenty young adults (11 men, 9 women, median age 26) who had sustained at least one sport-related concussion during their adolescence participated in a one-on-one semi-structured interview. We aimed to explore their experiences with their concussion at the time of injury and any consequences they experienced as a result of their concussion. We organized participants’ concussion experiences into six main themes: (1) Concussion diagnosis and experiences with health care providers; (2) Emotional symptoms following concussion; (3) Concussion recovery; (4) Change in sport participation and engagement; (5) Concern about the potential long-term consequences; and (6) Impact on social relationships. We used the Biopsychosocial Model of Sport Injury Rehabilitation to organize the themes. Future research should explore how acute multi-disciplinary support could reduce the negative long-term consequences of concussion in adolescents.

ABSTRACT For some, post-concussion symptoms following a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are prolonged in nature, lasting for a minimum of 12 months and up to many years. There remains limited insight into the effectiveness of psychological interventions for the treatment of prolonged post-concussion symptoms (PrPCS). This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of psychological interventions for PrPCS (>12 months post mTBI). A search was performed across five databases (PsychINFO, Medline, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), & PubMed). Two independent researchers assessed the studies against pre-defined eligibility criteria and completed quality appraisals. Ten studies were included in the review and underwent narrative synthesis. Four psychological interventions for PrPCS were found (i.e., Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Neurofeedback Therapy, Psychoeducation, & Mindfulness-based therapy). Emerging empirical data tends to support the assertion that psychological interventions can improve PrPCS and quality of life. CBT appears to have the strongest evidence base to date and to be the most effective in improving anxiety, anger, and overall mental well-being. However, the evidence base is still very much in its infancy and requires research with more robust methodological designs to be conducted before any conclusions can be reliably asserted.

ABSTRACT The Neuropsychology of Depression, edited by Shawn M. McClintock and Jimmy Choi, is an exceptionally well-written and comprehensive book that covers virtually all key aspects of depression for neuropsychologists and other health professionals besides. It addresses cognitive impairments, neurological disorder associations, and the latest epidemiological data on depression and critically evaluates neurocognitive models and offers in-depth analyses of performance validity tests, cultural diversity, and treatment modalities. This meticulously detailed and broad-ranging resource is deemed an essential reference for both neuropsychologists and broader health professionals.