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Hospital introduces computer-assisted cognitive retraining

BANGALORE JAN. 6. The Manipal Institute of Neurological Disorders at Manipal Hospital may be the first private sector hospital in the State to introduce computer-assisted cognitive retraining. The facility is intended to help restore functional abilities such as memory, speech, emotional control, attention, vision, and learning in patients with neurological problems.

Brain damage caused by injuries to the head, stroke, or neurological diseases often affects functional abilities of the brain.

The degree of impairment generally depends on the severity of the damage. In severe cases, the patient is unable to attend to his or her profession and suffers from personal and social trauma. Surgery or medication generally falls short in achieving complete recovery. The new service at the hospital aims at putting the patient back to his or her vocation, thereby, reducing personal and social trauma.

The Director of the institute and Consultant Neurosurgeon, N.K. Venktaramana says: "Clinical research has yielded evidence to prove that impaired functions can be restored. This is possible due to `neuronal plasticity' where normal brain cells acquire a unique ability in developing new functional capabilities. Through computer-assisted cognitive retraining, it is possible to retrain normal brain cells to take over functions of neighbouring damaged areas in the brain."

The programme has been indigenously developed by an expert in Neuropsychology, Mukundan, who says: "If we can restore functional abilities in affected persons to normal or near normal levels, they can resume their activities and can become more independent."

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