Neuroplastic Changes in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury
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Following a TBI, damage to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) frequently develops and can cause complicated behavioural abnormalities, including trouble focusing and paying attention. The networks of the OFC underwent considerable functional neuro-plastic changes as a result of our investigation into the impact of musical training on individuals with behavioural and cognitive abnormalities following a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Neuropsychological test findings showed an improvement in cognitive function. Six out of the seven individuals in this group went back to work after the intervention, and they all reported an improvement in their social and emotional conduct. The functional alterations in the OFC after the music-supported intervention are examined in this study in relation to the connecting networks that might be in charge of improved social interaction. We also talk about the dopamine release during play as a component that may have an impact on the outcomes. The intervention involved two 30-minute lessons on the piano each week for eight weeks with a teacher. A minimum of 15 minutes of additional playing time each day was necessary at home.
During the intervention phase, participants reported spending an average of 3 hours per week playing the piano. Participants were divided into three groups: a mTBI group (n=7), two control groups made up of healthy individuals, one of which received music training (n=11), and a baseline group (n=12) without music training. The clinical group's participants had undergone standardised cognitive rehabilitation therapy while they were in the hospital, but they had not yet recovered from their impairments. Two years after the injury, the intervention was conducted. Prior to and after the intervention, all participants had neuropsychological testing as well as task- and restingstate functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) evaluations. The findings supported fMRI findings that the orbitofrontal networks underwent functional alterations, showing a significant improvement on neuropsychological tests in the treatment group (OFC). Both a straightforward task fMRI and resting-state fMRI, which were both, examined using dynamic causal modelling, showed the same alterations (DCM). We postulated that practising the piano as instructed by the training procedure may enhance social interaction and general wellbeing. We propose that individuals with behavioural issues after a TBI may benefit clinically from the novelty of the intervention