Efficacy of an Attentional Process Training Using Competitive Versus Non Competitive Strategies

Within a prospective, randomised, controlled study 60, selected patients with chronic (\> 6 months) stroke or traumatic brain injury will be randomised to 30 1-hour sessions of competitive versus non-competitive attentional training. Competitive training will include fifteen 1-hour sessions of standard (paper and pencil) training under competitive situations and fifteen 1-hour sessions of competitive attentional games designed for this purpose using a new virtual reality system (conventional liquid-crystal-display screen with an infrared LED array to facilitate multi-touch experience embedded in a conventional table). Progress will be evaluated by pre and post measurement of attentional neuropsychological tests, subjective reports of global attention, usability and motivational scales. Our hypothesis is that competitive training is more effective in improving attention than conventional training in the chronic phase after acquired brain injury.