Article

The objective of the present study was to assess the specificity of
rehabilitation on different subdomains of working memory. A 38-year-old female
with chronic (4 years) stroke suffered from an impairment of the three subdomains
of working memory (modality-specific storage systems for verbal and visuo-spatial
information and the central executive). She was given an experimental
rehabilitation programme, using a multiple-baseline across behaviour design.
After two baseline measures three months apart, the first training stage focused
on the phonological loop, the second on the visuo-spatial sketchpad, and the
third on central executive functions. Verbal aspects of working memory improved
significantly after the first training stage, while visuo-spatial tests improved
after the second training stage. Central executive functions improved mainly
after the third training stage. Modularity effects were not as pronounced for
less specific ecological outcome measures, such as the Working Memory
Questionnaire, which improved throughout the trial, irrespective of the training
condition. This case study suggests that there are both domain-specific and
generalisation effects in rehabilitation of working memory, and that
rehabilitation should be adapted and tailored to each individual patient's impairments.

Langue : ANGLAIS