Post-traumatic amnesia
Research
Research
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### The North Star Project

The North Star Project was developed by researchers at [McGill University](/wiki/McGill_University "McGill University"). Researchers developed a "reality orientation", which involved discussing general facts (e.g. date, time, names of family members, etc.) with amnesic patients twice a day in an attempt to lessen their confusion during the early stages of their recovery. Younger patients often had shorter amnesic episodes than older patients, especially those in the North Star group. Although more improvements were noted in the North Star group than in the control group, researchers did not find a statistically significant effect of their intervention.

#### Findings

A comprehensive analysis of literature based on the effects of early rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury concluded that there is no strong evidence linking any one particular practice of post\-injury care to a reduced severity in symptoms. However, even in the absence of a concrete correlation between a specific rehabilitation program and improved outcomes, the evidence and research available can provide many good suggestions for how to proceed with treatment. All rehabilitation strategies reviewed had positive effects on recovery, but none more so than the others.

The most accurate measure of determining the length of amnesia is still the a behavioural measure, the duration of the episode of post\-traumatic amnesia, rather than a neuroimaging technique or an electrophysiological or biochemical technique. The length of amnesia is also one of the most accurate predictors for determining later cognitive problems, even more so than the duration of either the coma or the period of loss of consciousness. The duration of amnesia after TBI, therefore, can be very useful in the planning the length and intensity of rehabilitation programs for persons affected by PTA.


How can The North Star Project be replicated or improved upon?