B-156: Enhancing Cognitive Rehabilitation Interventions Using Selected Movement-Based Tasks Guided by Neuropsychological Assessment: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Objective: Targeted cognitive rehabilitation is most effective when guided by domain-specific neuropsychological assessment and integrated within movement-based tasks (Cicerone et al., 2000; Maggio et al., 2025; Kotov et al., 2021). The Parietal lobe’s plasticity and central role in sensorimotor integration and cognitive processing make it a key resource for recovery after brain injury (Culham & Valyear, 2006; Browndyke, 2024; Nudo, 2013). However, few studies clearly link movement-based strategies to specific cognitive domains to demonstrate rehabilitation benefits. This literature review addresses that gap by evaluating domain-specific effects of movement-based interventions on attention, executive function, language, visuospatial skills, and memory in post–traumatic brain injury and post-stroke populations. Method/Data Selection: Peer-reviewed studies from the last 10 years were identified through Wright State University library searches, excluding meta-analyses and reviews. Studies were selected based on relevance to movement-based cognitive rehabilitation and inclusion of neuropsychological assessment of domain-specific outcomes, including attention, executive function, language, visuospatial skills, and memory. Data were synthesized to identify intervention type, cognitive domains, and neuropsychological measures used to assess outcomes. Results/Data Synthesis: Evidence from studies indicates that robot-assisted rehabilitation combined with cognitive tasks improves attention and processing speed in post-stroke patients (Aprile et al., 2020), while virtual reality–enhanced Lokomat training improves attentional control and executive function (Maggio et al., 2020). Aerobic exercise and exergames yield gains in executive set-shifting (Pérez López et al., 2024), and virtual reality–based interventions improve executive, visuospatial (Sugianto et al., 2025), language (Mane et al., 2022), and memory outcomes (Rogers et al., 2019). Conclusions: Findings highlight the need for integrated, domain-specific frameworks to optimize movement-based cognitive rehabilitation efforts.