The assessment and treatment of 'cold' executive functioning impairments

Objective: This systematic review investigated interventions that aimed to improve cold executive functioning in working age adults with an acquired brain injury (ABI).

Methods: The following databases were searched: PsycINFO, Web of Science, CENTRAL, Medline, CINAHL and EMBASE. The search was limited to peer-reviewed research studies published between January 2000-October 2023. Articles were classified according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine levels of evidence criteria. Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) appraisal checklists were used to measure study quality.
Results: This systematic review reported on 12 studies.

Interventions delivered, intervention outcomes, cold executive function outcome measures used, levels of evidence, study quality and participant characteristics are described.

Conclusion: Few methodologically high-quality studies exist in this research area, so conclusions drawn regarding intervention efficacy are limited. Results showed that the most efficacious interventions were targeted at a specific sub-construct of cold executive functioning and driven by a neuropsychological theory which accounted for the role of the cognitive process of attention in cold executive functioning. In total, 25 different outcome measures were used to measure change in cold executive functioning. Outcome measures that focus on a specific component of the cold executive functioning construct may benefit both future research and clinical practice.