Neuropsychological Rehabilitation of Right Brain Injury: A Case Report

Abstract

Traditionally, the right hemisphere has been considered as non-dominant because of absence of significant alterations in cognitive functioning after lesions. Recent studies have shown that right hemisphere plays an active role in cognitive processes, such as spatial global analysis, recognition and evocation of auditory patterns, motor sequences, recognition of faces and emotions. The objectives of the study consisted in providing qualitative analysis of neuropsychological deficits in a male patient with brain damage in right frontotemporal region due to an automobile accident and to describe the effects of the program of neuropsychological rehabilitation. A pretest-posttest research design was used. The neuropsychological assessment evaluation was carried out through qualitative protocols for Spanish speaking patients. Final assessment pointed out positive changes in the process of intellectual activity on perceptive and verbal levels. The patient managed to return to university studies. Our results show that it is possible to define the mechanisms, which underline the clinical syndrome in cases brain injury in right hemisphere. Predominant difficulties consisted in loss of involuntary regulation and mild difficulties with the global perception of information on perceptive and verbal level. These difficulties were reflected in all kinds of complex intellectual activity, which became milder after the work with the program for rehabilitation.