Plasticity of executive functions after traumatic brain injury in adolescents

From daily clinical practice in the Child Rehabilitation Centre Ghent University Hospital, we experience that adolescents with a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) do recover quite well when it comes to talking and walking. Adolescents frequently may appear to make a full physical recovery and at the end of the rehabilitation period do often perform within the average range in various physical and standardized neuropsychological assessments. However, regardless of their performance on standardized tests, everyday functioning at home or in school remains generally poor. ‘The hidden disability’ such as difficulties in executive function and sometimes an ‘unusual’ behaviour jeopardizes future socio-economic integration and can be deeply distressing for parents and siblings. More research is needed for a better comprehension of how a developing brain reacts on a traumatic insult and how we can foster reorganization and further maturation of the adolescent’s brain. Ultimately, answers to these questions will provide a foundation for more individualized therapeutic manipulation of neuroplasticity to enhance functional recovery in the traumatized developing brain.

ISBN:9789080632653

Jaar van publicatie:2019

Toegankelijkheid:Open