Efficacy of cognitive intervention in stroke: a long road ahead

Abstract

Numerous studies have been conducted discussing the importance and effectiveness of cognitive interventions for stroke-related cognitive impairments. Definite conclusions, however, are yet to be established. An extensive literature and database search was executed to summarize the existing evidence from high-quality randomized clinical trials on the effects of cognitive intervention and feasibility of this approach in stroke patients. Out of 507 identified studies, after thorough inspection, only three randomized clinical trials, with low risk of bias, met the established criteria and were included in the following meta-analysis. No significant effects of cognitive intervention in any of the analyzed outcomes were observed with feasibility analyzes displaying high rates of completion and adherence.The following study suggests a lack of sufficient evidence to support or refute the efficacy of cognitive intervention in stroke patients. However, these results should be interpreted with caution. Additionally, serious efforts must be made to improve the quality of empirical studies in the field. In sum, the quality of methodological techniques in the field were inspected in hopes of contributing to further development of this therapeutic approach.