A Follow Up Study on Neurocognitive Function of Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

• Main Authors: HUNG, YING-TZU, 洪櫻慈
• Other Authors: YEH, ZAI-TING
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/61868078892315595049

碩士 === 輔仁大學 === 臨床心理學系碩士班 === 105 === Background and Purpose: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) used to be characterized as a “Silent Epidemic”, with many people dying or undergoing treatment and rehabilitation following such injury every year. The disability and mortality caused by traumatic brain injury is year by year more than other diseases. In addition to physical disability, traumatic brain injury may cause cognitive dysfunction. According to research, many patients continue to experience long-term cognitive dysfunction rather than physical disability. Cognitive function is the set of all mental abilities and processes related to knowledge, including attention, memory, executive function, and speed of information processing. Functional limitations or psychosocial morbidity are prevalent and constitute the most significant consequences of TBI. Problems such as independence in self-care, social integration, employment, and family burden have far-reaching economic and social consequences. Our study focused on patients with mild TBI as an attempt to determine their performances on cognitive function at 1 and 6 months after injury, and their post-concussion symptoms and emotions related to cognitive dysfunction. Methods: 12 patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) were paired with healthy controls for age, gender, and level of education. All participants were evaluated individually. They completed emotional evaluations (Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory), cognitive function tests (MMES; logical memory test I, II; face I, II; verbal paired association I, II; family picture I, II; Wisconsin Card Sorting Test–Modified; digit symbol; symbol search; Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test-Revised), post-concussion symptoms evaluation (Checklist of Post-Concussion Symptoms), and daily function evaluation (WHO Quality of Life-Brief). Result: (1) Neurocognitive function performance showed significant differences at 1 and 6 months after injury in the patients with mTBI. Neurocognitive function performance was also significantly different at 6 months between patients with mTBI and paired controls. (2) The patients with mTBI presented post-concussion symptoms at 1 month after injury. Post-concussion symptoms were significantly different at 1 and 6 months after injury in the patients with traumatic brain injury. (3) Neurocognitive function performance was significantly related to post-concussion symptoms and emotion at 1 and 6 months after injury in the patients with mTBI (4) Quality of life performance was significantly different at 1 and 6 months after injury in the patients with traumatic brain injury. Conslusion: Neurocognitive function would significantly improve at 6 months post injury and not be significantly different from that of the control group. Also, depression and anxiety were not found at either 1 month or 6 months post injury, and inadequate evidence of an association between neurocognitive function and emotion disturbance in mTBI. However, the symptoms of dizziness and attention deficits have persistently lasting at 6 months post injury. It should be mentioned long-term PCS in mTBI need to be taken seriously when evaluating or treating patients after mTBI, and may go a long way in avoiding prolonged loss of productivity and poor perceived quality of life in these patients.