NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE AND COGNITIVE RETRAINING IN HEAD INJURIES (Pages 99-115) by Mr. Mustafa Nadeem Kirmani* and Ms. Preeti Sharma** in THE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH SPECIALIST / ISSN: 2350-1499 (Online); 2350-0751 (Print)

The aim of the current paper is to focus on the nature of head injury, types, epidemiology, neuropsychological functions effected in cases of head injuries and rehabilitation program implicated in these clinical conditions. Head injuries or known as Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) have become very common nowadays. The increased Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) and injuries due to falls are the most common causes of head injuries. The neuropsychological evaluation provides an extensive and comprehensive assessment of the patient’s cognitive, emotional, behavioral and social assets and liabilities subsequent to injury to the brain. Neuropsychological assessment goes beyond the usual standard psychological assessment. It often demonstrates sensitivity to the effects of brain injury. The range of neurocognitive and psychological outcomes for any particular head injuries are highly varied. Cognitive difficulties are very common in patients with head injury. Cognition includes an awareness of one’s surroundings, attention to tasks, memory, reasoning, problem solving, and executive functioning (e.g., goal setting, planning, initiating, self-awareness, self-monitoring and evaluation). Neuropsychological evaluation provides a comprehensive assessment of brain functions and helps in the plan of management. The essential feature of patients with head injuries is impairment in their cognitive functions like difficulty in attention, memory, planning, affective issues in the form of irritability, anger outburst, sadness and behavioral issues like behavioral inhibition and other areas like impairment in social and occupational functioning. The extent of these difficulties depends on the severity of head injury, brain part involved, other comorbid conditions and sociodemographic variables. Interventions for individuals with head injuries are tailored to their specific strengths and weaknesses. Cognitive retraining which is the current mode of intervention in cases of head injuries aim to improve executive and other functions of the brain which in turn improve the activities of daily living, functionality of the patients, mood regulation and quality of life. The current paper will focus on the nature of head injuries, neuropsychological evaluations in head injury cases and interventions in the form of cognitive retraining. Key-words: Head injury, neuropsychological evaluations, neuropsychological profile, cognitive retraining