Memory Rehabilitation by Means of Working Memory Training in Combination With a Recollection Training

Memory Rehabilitation by Means of Working Memory Training in Combination With a Recollection Training

Memory deficits after brain damage are common and there is still a need for evaluated therapy methods. In this study we compare two therapeutic interventions and investigate whether therapy effects can be found on neuropsychological tests and on a test measuring memory in everyday life.

In the interventiongroup a computerbased working memory training is combined with a recollection training (repitition-lag procedure). The patients in the active control group undergo the standard memory therapy that is normally provided in the rehabilitation centre (with a focus on the acquisition and execution of different memory strategies, e.g. the spaced retrieval method). The patients in both groups are tested on different neuropsychological tests before and after nine hours of therapy. Additionally, a test is conducted that assesses memory in everyday life.

The test includes different single tasks that measure memory in everyday life e.g. Story recall (Subtest 6 from the Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test) Outcome measure: Total number of points

Tests for verbal memory, working memory, prospective memory, attention and word fluency (Composite scores built from raw scores)

Inclusion Criteria: brain injury memory deficits (performance below average in the California Verbal Learning Test in learning trial 1 or 5, sfr or lfr) Exclusion Criteria: severe amnesia (less than 2 words in sfr of the CVLT), dementia, sensory or motor aphasia, impaired vision, insufficient German language skills, lack of patient's consent

Richter KM, Modden C, Eling P, Hildebrandt H. Improving everyday memory performance after acquired brain injury: An RCT on recollection and working memory training. Neuropsychology. 2018 Jul;32(5):586-596. doi: 10.1037/neu0000445. Epub 2018 Apr 26.