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Updated: Sep 27, 2025
Randomized, Triple-Blind, and Parallel-Controlled Trial of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Cognitive Rehabilitation after Stroke
Published on: June 6, 2025
The effects of plasticity-based cognitive rehabilitation on resting-state functional connectivity in chronic
Hannah M Lindsey1,2,3, Mariana Lazar4, Giulia Mercuri5,3
1Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center, Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Background:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in chronic impairments to cognitive function, and these may be related to disrupted functional connectivity (FC) of the brain at rest.
Objective:
To investigate changes in default mode network (DMN) FC in adults with chronic TBI following 40 hours of auditory processing speed training.
Methods:
Eleven adults with chronic TBI underwent 40-hours of auditory processing speed training over 13-weeks and seven adults with chronic TBI were assigned to a non-intervention control group. For all participants, resting-state FC and cognitive and self-reported function were measured at baseline and at a follow-up visit 13-weeks later.
Results:
No significant group differences in cognitive function or resting-state FC were observed at baseline. Following training, the intervention group demonstrated objective and subjective improvements on cognitive measures with moderate-to-large effect sizes. Repeated measures ANCOVAs revealed significant (p < 0.001) group×time interactions, suggesting training-related changes in DMN FC, and semipartial correlations demonstrated that these were associated with changes in cognitive functioning.
Conclusions:
Changes in the FC between the DMN and other resting-state networks involved in the maintenance and manipulation of internal information, attention, and sensorimotor functioning may be facilitated through consistent participation in plasticity-based auditory processing speed training in adults with chronic TBI.
