Study of Mental Imagery Effects on Headache and Dizziness in Adults With Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to understand why patients with persistent symptoms like headaches and dizziness continue to experience these problems after a mild traumatic brain injury or concussion. It focuses on how mental imagery, or imagining movements or scenarios that usually trigger symptoms, might worsen these symptoms. The study also explores links between symptom worsening and factors like anxiety, depression, and daily functioning in adults who have had these symptoms for more than three months. Participants undergo a mental imagery provocation test where they imagine movements or scenarios that either provoke symptoms or are neutral. This test is guided by a physiotherapist who provides verbal instructions to focus on sensory details of the imagined movement. The study involves 2 to 3 sessions lasting 1 to 2 hours each, including clinical assessments, questionnaires, a vestibular examination, and symptom provocation testing. The order of provocative and neutral imagery is randomized for each participant. During the study, participants complete cognitive and symptom questionnaires, undergo vestibular and oculomotor assessments, and rate their headache and dizziness intensities before and after mental imagery tasks. Researchers measure changes in symptom severity and associations with psychological factors. The study is conducted over several sessions at a rehabilitation hospital, with data collected from medical records and participant reports. The primary outcomes focus on changes in headache and dizziness intensity immediately before and after the intervention.

Effect of Mental Imagery in Patients With Persistent Post-concussion Symptoms