Acquired brain injury (ABI) is accompanied by impairments in social, emotional, cognitive and behavioural skills and highly prevalent in the population. Social and emotional skills are crucial for moral cognition, but the extent to which moral cognition contributes to social competence deficits in people with ABI is largely unclear.

To provide more insight on this topic, we conducted a scoping review according to the PRISMA guidelines. After screening 1269 articles that we obtained via PubMed and Scopus, we found 27 articles on moral cognition in ABI.

We encountered four important topics across these studies which include traumatic brain injury (TBI) versus non-TBI, the influence of the different approaches used to measure moral cognition in ABI, the role of age of onset and the role of location of the injury. Overall, evidence suggests that the earlier the brain damage occurred, the more this leads to impairments in moral cognitive functioning. The location of the injury furthermore seems to differentially affect the way impairments are manifested. Finally, we found that the use of different measurement approaches can heavily influence the interpretation of the impairment.

We conclude that impairments in moral cognition in people with ABI are derived from a complex interplay between the age of onset, the location and the approach used to index moral cognition.

Following acquired brain injury, the goal of return to work is common. While return to work is supported through different rehabilitation models and services, access to vocational rehabilitation varies within and between countries, and global rates of employment post-injury remain low. The literature identifies outcomes from vocational programs and experiences with return to work, yet little is known about individuals’ perceptions and experiences regarding rehabilitation to support their vocational goals and experiences in attempting to return to work.

This qualitative study investigated the experiences of community-living adults with acquired brain injury (n = 8; mean age 45 years; mean time post-injury of 5.5 years) regarding their vocational rehabilitation and return to work. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted, with data analyzed via thematic analysis.

Participants identified negative and positive experiences with vocational rehabilitation and return to work. Five overarching themes were identified: addressing vocational rehabilitation in rehabilitation; facilitators of recovery and return to work; the importance and experience of working again; acquired brain injury and identity; and services, systems and policies. Participants also identified five key areas for early vocational rehabilitation services: education; service provision; employer liaison; workplace supports; and peer mentors. Study findings inform current and future practice and service delivery, at a clinical, service and system level.

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is routinely used during the early assessment of people after stroke to indicate cognitive effects and inform clinical decision-making.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between cognition in the first week post-stroke and personal and instrumental activities of daily skills at 1 month and 3 months post-stroke.

A prospective cohort study consecutively recruited people admitted to the acute stroke ward. Acute cognitive status was measured using the MoCA within 1 week post-stroke onset. Functional outcomes were measured using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Australian Modified Lawton’s Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (Lawton’s) at 1 month and 3 months post-stroke.

Fifty participants with predominantly mild stroke (n = 47) and mean age of 69.8 achieved a mean MoCA score of 23.1. Controlling for age, the MoCA was associated with the overall FIM score at 1 month (P = 0.02). It was nearing significance for the Lawton’s at 1 month (P = 0.06) but was not associated with either outcome at 3 months. A score of less than 23 on the MoCA was indicative of lower scores on both outcomes.

A low MoCA score within 1 week of stroke may indicate need for support or rehabilitation due to early impacts on personal activities of daily living, but is not associated with poor functional outcomes at 3 months.

Motor imagery (MI) has become an increasingly popular rehabilitation tool for individuals with motor impairments. However, it has been proposed that individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PKD) may not benefit from MI due to impairments in motor learning.

This case series study investigated the effects of a 4-week MI training protocol on MI ability in three male individuals with PKD, with an emphasis on examining changes in brain responses.

Training was completed primarily at home, via audio recordings, and emphasized the imagination of functional tasks. MI ability was assessed pre and post-training using subjective and objective imagery questionnaires, alongside an electroencephalographic (EEG) recording of a functional MI task. EEG analysis focused on the mu rhythm, as it has been proposed that suppression in the mu rhythm may reflect MI success and motor learning. Previous research has indicated that mu suppression is impaired in individuals with PKD, and may contribute to the disease’s associated deficits in motor learning.

Following training, all three participants improved in MI accuracy, but reported no notable improvements in MI vividness. Greater suppression in the mu rhythm was also exhibited by all three participants post-training.

These results suggest the participants learned from the training protocol and that individuals with PKD are responsive to MI training. Further research on a larger scale is needed to verify the findings and determine if this learning translates to improvements in motor function.

Augmented reality is a novel technology with potential to overlay aspects or objects from the home environment into hospital-based training, which may increase relevance and motivation for hospital-based rehabilitation. Consultation with people with lived experience and clinician stakeholders is an important step when exploring possibilities for use of new technology in the hospital environment.

This study sought to understand the need and acceptability of augmented reality from the perspectives of health professionals and stroke survivors during inpatient stroke rehabilitation.

This qualitative descriptive study included stroke survivors (n = 4) and health professionals (n = 10) from a large metropolitan hospital. Data collection was undertaken via focus groups which were transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Inductive content analysis revealed three themes: everything is computerised these days; the possibilities are endless…but what about?; and bringing the outside into the hospital. Participants were open to the use of augmented reality for stroke rehabilitation; however there was uncertainty with pragmatic concerns and stroke survivors describing possible applications in building confidence and self-efficacy, and sharing experiences to enhance caregivers understanding.

This research identified that there is potential acceptability for augmented reality in stroke rehabilitation. The needs identified by the participants may inform development of current and future technology.

Communities of practice can facilitate the sharing and translation of knowledge. BRAINSPaN is a multidisciplinary community of practice of clinicians, researchers and students in the brain impairment field that was launched in Australia in June 2017. We aimed to investigate the impact of BRAINSPaN on multidisciplinary collaboration and on knowledge, skills and confidence in domains of practice of interest to members.

We surveyed BRAINSPaN members over three time points at 1-month (n = 117), 7-months (n = 69) and 14-months (n = 46) post-launch. Content analysis of posts to the BRAINSPaN listserv was also conducted to identify their purpose and content.

Increasing access to new research findings and increasing interaction with others in the brain impairment field were the two main goals for survey respondents’ participation in BRAINSPaN. At 7- and 14-months post-launch, these were also the most commonly achieved goals and most frequently cited benefits of BRAINSPaN participation. Cognitive rehabilitation and behaviour management were the most frequently reported practice domains of interest, as well as being two of the five most common topics of BRAINSPaN posts over the survey period. There was a significant increase in self-reported knowledge for participants’ top two domains of interest, but no change in skills or confidence.

BRAINSPaN has the potential to serve as a vehicle for the sharing and translation of knowledge in the brain impairment field. Combining other forms of dissemination with communities of practice, such as workshops and clinical mentoring, may be needed to also influence the development of skills and confidence in practice areas.