Citation

Leininger BE, Gramling SE, Farrell AD, Kreutzer JS, Peck EA. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 1990; 53(4): 293-296.

Affiliation

Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Psychology, Richmond 23284.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2341842

PMCID

PMC1014166

Abstract

Recent studies have concluded that most individuals who sustain minor head injury are free of persistent neuropsychological dysfunction. Nevertheless, a subgroup of patients experience continuing post-concussive difficulties and neuropsychological deficits. This study examined 53 symptomatic minor head injury patients referred for neuropsychological evaluation between one and 22 months after injury. These individuals performed significantly poorer than uninjured controls on four of eight neuropsychological tests. Patients who lost consciousness during injury obtained test scores similar to persons who experienced disorientation or confusion but no loss of consciousness. The results indicate that minor head injury patients who report post-concussive symptoms possess measurable neuropsychological deficits and the severity of these deficits is independent of neurological status immediately following injury.

Language: en