ABSTRACT
Visual problems are common in patients with severe TBI. Diplopia is among the most frustrating of visual disturbances for patients, due to its functional consequences. This is further compounded by often slow, and at times, incomplete or partial recovery over six months or longer. Ocular cranial nerve injuries (particularly trochlear nerve) occur in 0.2%-1.4% of severe TBI patients. This paper presents a new prism treatment application for treating rotational diplopia arising from Trochlear nerve injury.
Subject(s)
Eyeglasses , Ophthalmoplegia/etiology , Ophthalmoplegia/rehabilitation , Refractometry , Trochlear Nerve Diseases/complications , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Ophthalmoplegia/drug therapy , Ophthalmoplegia/history , Trochlear Nerve Diseases/pathology , Trochlear Nerve Diseases/rehabilitation , Young AdultABSTRACT
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of donepezil hydrochloride (Aricept) in treating persistent memory deficits in people with traumatic brain injury. RESEARCH DESIGN: Single subject ABAC design was used so that each participant could serve as their own control. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Seven TBI survivors with persistent memory dysfunction, at least 1.5 years post-injury, underwent two 6-month trials of Aricept. The following tests were used to assess memory and cognition: Brief Visual Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R), Hopkins Verbal Learning Test, Digit Span and Letter Number Sequence sub-test of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III, Controlled Oral Word Association Test and Memory Functioning Questionnaire. EXPERIMENTAL INTERVENTION: During the first treatment phase, participants received 5 mg/day of Aricept for 1 month, increasing to 10 mg/day of Aricept for an additional 5 months. During the second treatment phase, participants received 5 mg/day of Aricept for the entire 6 months. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: A repeated measures analysis of variance indicated significant improvement on immediate and delayed memory portions of the BVMT-R when taking 10 mg/day of Aricept. CONCLUSIONS: Findings contribute to the growing body of research into the use of Aricept in treating memory deficits in TBI survivors and support the need for further research.
