Real-world environmental enrichment rehabilitation paradigm in people with severe traumatic brain injury: a pilot feasibility study.

REHABILITATION for brain injury patients; COMMUNITY health services; PATIENT compliance; MOTOR ability; TASK performance; PATIENT safety; REHABILITATION; PILOT projects; FUNCTIONAL assessment; EXECUTIVE function; CLINICAL trials; SEVERITY of illness index; TREATMENT effectiveness; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; SOCIAL context; PARADIGMS (Social sciences); PRE-tests & post-tests; WALKING; SOCIALIZATION; POSTURAL balance; ADULTS

The use of Environmental Enrichment (EE) has been widely studied in animal models. However, the application of the same in humans is limited to rehabilitation settings. To investigate the feasibility of a community-based EE paradigm in adults with brain injury. Six individuals diagnosed with traumatic brain injury enrolled in the study. The Go Baby Go Café instrumented with a body weight harness system, provided physical and social enrichment as participants performed functional tasks for 2 hours, three times a week, for 2 months. Feasibility and safety outcomes were recorded throughout sessions. Clinical measures including 10-meter walk, timed up and go, jebsen hand function, 6-minute walk, and trail making tests were obtained pre and post intervention. All participants completed the study. The attendance was 100% and adherence was 87%. Positive changes in clinical measures were statistically significant for the timed up and go (p = 0.0175), TUG-cognitive (p = 0.0064), 10-meter walk (p = 0.0428), six-minute walk (p = 0.0196), TMT-A (p = 0.034). Changes in JHFT were not significant (p = 0.0506), with one subject recording values counter to the trend. The Café was a comprehensive EE-based intervention that was feasible, safe, and has the potential to enhance motor and cognitive function in individuals with brain injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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