Project 467242

There are no effective treatments for persistent memory symptoms following concussion. Cognitive rehabilitation, the current standard of care, may be misguided because it focuses on adapting to permanent memory problems, when past research has shown that permanent memory problems after concussion are rare, even among people who believe their memory has not fully recovered. I suggest that negative perceptions of memory ability, not impaired memory ability, should be the main target for treatment. We will recruit people with a concussion who have persistent memory concerns but perform normally on memory tests. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either cognitive rehabilitation (training for memory compensatory strategies) or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT, a psychological ;talk therapy). CBT will help participants to (1) stop using memory compensatory strategies (such as lists) that they do not actually need, so they can learn how well their memory works, and (2) consider alternative (less upsetting) explanations for memory lapses. The main goal of this study is to assess (1) how willing patients are to participate, (2) whether participants view treatments as logical and helpful, (3) how many participants complete the full treatment, and (4) how closely therapists follow treatment manuals. This study will determine if it is feasible to proceed with a future clinical trial to test the effectiveness of CBT for persistent memory symptoms after concussion. My research will improve clinical care for concussion as well as related health conditions (e.g., memory complaints associated with aging, psychiatric disorders, and post-viral syndromes).