Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology
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J Clin Exp Neuropsychol · Jul 2011
Are self-reported symptoms of executive dysfunction associated with objective executive function performance following mild to moderate traumatic brain injury?
We examined the relationship between self-reported pre- and post-injury changes in executive dysfunction, apathy, disinhibition, and depression, and performance on neuropsychological tests of executive function, attention/processing speed, and memory in relation to mood levels and effort test performance in individuals in the early stages of recovery from mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ Our findings suggest that, among individuals in early recovery from mild to moderate TBI, self-reported depressive symptoms, rather than patients' cognitive complaints, are associated with objective executive function. However, self-reported cognitive complaints may be associated with objectively measured inattention and slow processing speed.
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J Clin Exp Neuropsychol · Jan 2011
Cumulative effects of concussions in athletes revealed by electrophysiological abnormalities on visual working memory.
Event-related potentials (ERPs) have been useful to detect subtle, pervasive alterations of cognition-related waveforms in athletes with multiple concussions. This study used the sustained posterior contralateral negativity (SPCN) waveform component recorded while participants performed a visual short-term memory task to investigate how working memory (WM) storage capacity was affected among athletes who differed according to their history of sports concussions. Fifty-five university-level football players were assigned to three groups: 1-2 concussion athletes; 3+ concussion athletes; non-concussed athletes. ⋯ In addition, SPCN amplitude was found to correlate significantly with a visual memory capacity estimate (K), but this K value did not significantly differ across groups. This suggests that attenuated SPCN amplitude after three or more concussions did not interfere with apparent WM function. Taken together, these findings suggest that the altered neurophysiological index of WM storage might be a more sensitive measure of a latent WM function abnormality which may well worsen with aging, or perhaps additional brain insults.
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J Clin Exp Neuropsychol · Nov 2010
Influence of poor effort on self-reported symptoms and neurocognitive test performance following mild traumatic brain injury.
When considering a diagnosis of postconcussion syndrome, clinicians must systematically evaluate and eliminate the possible contribution of many differential diagnoses, comorbidities, and factors that may cause or maintain self-reported symptoms long after mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). One potentially significant contributing factor is symptom exaggeration. The purpose of the study is to examine the influence of poor effort on self-reported symptoms (postconcussion symptoms and cognitive complaints) and neurocognitive test performance following MTBI. ⋯ Similarly, there were significant main effects and/or large effect sizes on the S-NAB. Patients in the TOMM fail group performed more poorly on the Attention (p = .004, d = 1.26), Memory (p = .006, d = 1.16), and Executive Functioning (p > .05, d = 0.70) indexes. These results highlight the importance of considering the influence of poor effort, in conjunction with a growing list of factors that can influence, maintain, and/or mimic the persistent postconcussion syndrome.
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J Clin Exp Neuropsychol · Jul 2010
Comparative StudyTemporal order memory differences in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.
Determining the order of events is essential for accurate memory recollection: an ability previously linked to both frontal and medial temporal functioning. Frontal-subcortical and medial temporal dysfunction typify vascular dementia (VaD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), respectively. ⋯ Curve analysis revealed a general decline in ordering for VaD whereas error production in AD is more dependent on memory load. These findings generally support the role of frontal-subcortical functioning in temporal order memory.
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J Clin Exp Neuropsychol · Jun 2010
Meta AnalysisA meta-analytic review of the emotional symptoms associated with mild traumatic brain injury.
Given the prevalence of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and enduring subjective complaints known as postconcussion symptoms (PCS), it is important to investigate the nature and extent of these difficulties. This study used meta-analytic techniques to integrate the available information on the emotional symptoms associated with mTBI. ⋯ The results indicate that mTBI had a small to negligible effect on emotional symptom reporting. This has implications for the etiology of PCS, the delivery of therapeutic interventions, and medico-legal disputations.