Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) is a
cognitive rehabilitation therapyCognitive rehabilitation therapy is a program to help brain-injured or otherwise cognitively impaired individuals to restore normal functioning, or to compensate for cognitive deficits. It entails an individualized program of specific skills training and practice plus metacognitive strategies...
developed at
King's CollegeKing's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
in London designed to improve
neurocognitiveNeurocognitive is a term used to describe cognitive functions closely linked to the function of particular areas, neural pathways, or cortical networks in the brain substrate layers of neurological matrix at the cellular molecular level...
abilities such as
attentionAttention is the cognitive process of paying attention to one aspect of the environment while ignoring others. Attention is one of the most intensely studied topics within psychology and cognitive neuroscience....
,
working memoryWorking memory has been defined as the system which actively holds information in the mind to do verbal and nonverbal tasks such as reasoning and comprehension, and to make it available for further information processing...
,
cognitive flexibilityCognitive flexibility is the term used to describe one of the executive functions; a function which is an important component of human behavior; the ability to switch behavioral response according to the context of the situation...
and
planningCognitive planning is one of the executive functions, it encompases the neurological processes involved in the formulation, evaluation and selection of a sequence of thoughts and actions to achieve a desired goal...
, and executive functioning which leads to improved social functioning.
CRT has been used in the treatment of
schizophreniaSchizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
with positive results. In studies conducted at Kings College London with adults with
anorexia nervosaAnorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
CRT was shown to be beneficial in treatment,, and in Poland among adolescents with anorexia nervosa, in the United States clinical trials are still being conducted by the
National Institute of Mental HealthThe National Institute of Mental Health is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health...
on adolescents age 10-17 and
Stanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in subjects over 16 as a conjunctive therapy with Cognitive behavioral therapy.. Research at King's College London further explains that people with eating disorders such as
anorexia nervosaAnorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
, are considered to be
cognitively inflexibleCognitive flexibility is the term used to describe one of the executive functions; a function which is an important component of human behavior; the ability to switch behavioral response according to the context of the situation...
with their perspectives of food. Psychologist, Kate Tchanturia aims to correct the thinking of patients with eatting disorders via
Cognitive Remediation TherapyCognitive Remediation Therapy is a cognitive rehabilitation therapy developed at King's College in London designed to improve neurocognitive abilities such as attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility and planning, and executive functioning which leads to improved social functioning.CRT...
simultaneously with dietary modification and therapy.
CRT has also been shown to be useful in both children and adults with ADHD., as well as for cognitive deficits associated with Major depressive disorder CRT has also been used in a subset of pediatric cancer survivors who experienced cognitive impairment due to the effects of cancer or
cancer treatmentPost-chemotherapy cognitive impairment describes the cognitive impairment that can result from chemotherapy treatment. Approximately 20–30% of people who undergo chemotherapy experience some level of post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment...
on cognitive functioning. Clinical trials are slated to begin in 2010 in the United States by the National Institute of Health and the National Institute of Drug Abuse on the efficacy of cognitive remediation upon the cognitive deficits associated with
drug abuseSubstance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
.
CRT is usually administered via use of a computer, with the tasks appearing on the monitor.
Cognitive flexibility
Purple Blue Purple
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Blue Purple RedGreen Purple Green
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Naming the color of the first set of words is easier and quicker than the second.