An Umbrella Systematic Literature Review to aid the development of a Combined Physical and Psychological Programme for the management of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

Objective To systematically review related tauopathies to aid the development of a combined physical and psychological programme for managing chronic traumatic encephalopathy symptoms. Design: Umbrella Systematic Literature Review. Data Sources: CINAHL, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, APA PsycInfo, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and APA PsycArticles. Eligibility Criteria: Studies included had to (1) be a related tauopathy (Alzheimer’s disease; Parkinson’s disease; Lewy Body dementia; Frontotemporal degeneration; Corticobasal degeneration; Supranuclear Palsy); (2) utilise either active rehabilitation or psychological rehabilitation as their selected intervention in a non-pharmacological capacity; (3) measure symptoms associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Included studies were assessed using the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews for methodological assessment; Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews for risk of bias assessment; Cochrane GRADE tool for evidence quality assessment. Results Twenty-three systematic literature reviews met the inclusion criteria. Six articles were excluded for poor methodological and/or evidence quality. Risk of bias was low. Mood and cognitive symptoms improved when using active and psychological interventions respectively. Motor symptoms improved only with use of active rehabilitation. Mind-body exercises and cognitive behavioural therapy were found to be especially effective. Conclusion Active, and psychological rehabilitation techniques were found to be viable interventions for managing related tauopathies. This could then theoretically apply to the management of chronic traumatic encephalopathy symptoms as a combined intervention. However, more research is required to assess the efficacy of combined interventions.