Citation

Lang CJ. Appl. Neuropsychol. 2001; 8(2): 113-116.

Affiliation

Outpatient Department, Neurological Hospital, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6, 91054 Erlangen, Germany. christoph.lang@neuro.med.uni-erlangen.de

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1207/S15324826AN0802_6

PMID

11515241

Abstract

If reports of this caliber are required to insinuate that significant "brain damage" may ensue from rather mild nonimpact injury, there is some a priori reason to believe that this is not the case. The introduction of security belts, head rests, side-impact protection, and air bags has made driving safer; yet, the incidence of "brain injury" is allegedly rising. To definitely settle this issue, we will have to wait for other, preferably prospective, randomized, double-blind studies yielding a higher class of evidence. So, what do we learn from this study? First, in the United States, it is possible to select a sample of litigants that after a car accident or similar injury behaves and complains the way they did, even if there was no proof of morphological brain damage. Second, reports like this headed by a misleading title should better go unpublished until certain minimal standards of scientific scrutiny are met.

Language: en