• Xue Zhang, Tamara Tse, Shao-Zhen Chen, Kai-Yi Qiu, Xia Li, and Maryam Zoghi.
• School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: Xue.Zhang@latrobe.edu.au.
• Neuroscience. 2024 Nov 1; 559: 181187181-187.

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate the association between cognitive impairments and traumatic upper limb injuries of the acute phase.Material And MethodsA cross-sectional observational study was conducted with three groups: a nerve-injury group, a without nerve injury group, and a control group (uninjured participants). Demographic characteristics (e.g. age, sex, body mass index, and education) and traumatic characteristics (duration since injury, injury side, pain, light touch sensation, hand motor function) were recorded. Short-term memory and executive functions were assessed using Rey Auditory and Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT, including SIECT and SIECN), respectively.ResultsThe study comprised 43 participants in the nerve-injury group, 30 participants in the group without nerve injury, and 104 participants in the control group. Generalized linear model was applied to explore the difference of cognitive functions among three groups with impactors. Significantly poorer performance on the RAVLT was observed in the nerve-injury group compared to the other two groups, and lower score of SIECT in nerve-injury group was lower compared to the control group. However, there was no significant difference of SIECN among three groups. In addition, traumatic characteristics did not significantly impact RAVLT and SIECT (p > 0.05) in all injured participants.ConclusionTraumatic nerve injury to the upper limb appears to be associated with both short-term memory and executive function impairment, whereas musculoskeletal injuries without nerve damage showed no cognitive impairment. Therefore, it is important to monitor cognitive function following upper limb nerve injuries.Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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