Long-term cognitive and emotional consequences of mild traumatic brain injury

The objective of this study was to investigate long-term cognitive and emotional sequelae of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), as previous research has remained inconclusive with respect to their prevalence and extent. Thirty-three individuals who had sustained mTBI on average 6 years prior to the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological medicine 2011-06, Vol.41 (6), p.1197-1211
Main Authors: Konrad, C., Geburek, A. J., Rist, F., Blumenroth, H., Fischer, B., Husstedt, I., Arolt, V., Schiffbauer, H., Lohmann, H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Affective Symptoms - diagnosis
Affective Symptoms - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain Concussion - diagnosis
Brain Concussion - psychology
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition Disorders - diagnosis
Cognition Disorders - psychology
Compensation
Depression
Emotions
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Gender
Glasgow Coma Scale
Head injuries
Humans
Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted
Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Medical sciences
Memory, Episodic
Middle Aged
Mood disorders
Neuropsychological Tests - statistics & numerical data
Neuropsychology
Organic mental disorders. Neuropsychology
Personality Inventory - statistics & numerical data
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychometrics
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Response bias
Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
Traumatic brain injury
Young Adult
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Summary:The objective of this study was to investigate long-term cognitive and emotional sequelae of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), as previous research has remained inconclusive with respect to their prevalence and extent. Thirty-three individuals who had sustained mTBI on average 6 years prior to the study and 33 healthy control subjects were matched according to age, gender and education. Structural brain damage at time of testing was excluded by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A comprehensive neuropsychological test battery was conducted to assess learning, recall, working memory, attention and executive function. Psychiatric symptoms were assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Possible negative response bias was ruled out by implementing the Word Memory Test (WMT). The mTBI individuals had significant impairments in all cognitive domains compared to the healthy control subjects. Effect sizes of cognitive deficits were medium to large, and could not be accounted for by self-perceived deficits, depression, compensation claims or negative response bias. BDI scores were significantly higher in the patient group, and three patients fulfilled DSM-IV criteria for a mild episode of major depression. Primarily, well-recovered individuals who had sustained a minor trauma more than half a decade ago continue to have long-term cognitive and emotional sequelae relevant for everyday social and professional life. mTBI may lead to a lasting disruption of neurofunctional circuits not detectable by standard structural MRI and needs to be taken seriously in clinical and forensic evaluations.
ISSN:0033-2917
1469-8978
DOI:10.1017/S0033291710001728