Cochrane

Review question We reviewed the evidence for the effects of music interventions on functional outcomes in adults with acquired brain injury. Background Acquired brain injury (brain damage through accident or illness, including stroke, that is unlikely to degenerate further) can cause problems with movement, language, sensation, thinking, or emotion. ...

Review question What are the effects of treatments for managing symptoms in motor neuron disease (MND)? Background Motor neuron disease (MND), which is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is an uncommon, incurable disease that affects the nerves involved in movement. MND gets worse over time and affects muscles of the limbs, speech, ...

Background Accurately identifying people with dementia is an area of public and professional concern. Dementia is often not diagnosed until late in the disease, and this may limit timely access to appropriate health and social support. There is a growing interest in tests that detect dementia at an early stage, before symptoms have become problematic ...

This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published in Issue 1, 2006 of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Background Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in which abnormal electrical discharges from the brain cause recurrent seizures. We studied two types of epileptic seizures in this review: generalised onset seizures ...

Background For most women who have epilepsy, continuing their medication during pregnancy is important for their health. Over the last 25 years, research has shown that children exposed to these medications in the womb can be at a higher risk of having a malformation or birth defect. Research question This review aimed to understand whether exposure ...

Review question We reviewed the evidence for the effectiveness of interventions for preventing delirium in hospitalised patients, not including those on intensive care units (ICU) (specialised wards for the care of critically ill patients). Background Delirium is a common and serious illness for people admitted to hospital. It can be distressing ...

Evidence for the effectiveness of care interventions for adults with epilepsy is still unclear. This review compared the effectiveness of a range of interventions, including specialist nurses and management strategies, in improving outcomes for adults with epilepsy. We identified seven distinct intervention types, with varying amounts of evidence to ...

Review question We reviewed the evidence about the effect of non-drug treatments for depression after traumatic brain injury (TBI), to determine whether these treatments are better than no intervention, or better than drug-based treatments, at reducing the symptoms or diagnosis of depression. We searched for evidence about the relative effectiveness ...

Review question: We reviewed the evidence about the effect of any intervention that had been used to treat or prevent fatigue in people with stroke. Background: Fatigue is a common and distressing problem after stroke, but no intervention has been recommended to treat or prevent it in people with stroke. Thus, it is important to find out if any intervention ...

Research question Which interventions help to promote arm and hand recovery after a person has had a stroke? Background Problems with arm function (upper limb impairments) are very common after a stroke. These upper limb impairments commonly include difficulty moving and co-ordinating the arms, hands and fingers, often resulting in difficulty carrying ...