Cognitive slowing in closed-head injury.
Mean response times (RTs) from a sample of 13 simple- and choice-reaction time studies (which included 353 Closed-Head Injury (CHI) subjects at various stages of injury and 329 Control, non-CHI, subjects; mean age of both groups, approximately 28 years) were analyzed using Brinley Plot/multiple regression analysis techniques to provide support for the observation that CHI results in a slowing of basic cognitive information processing. Across 101 experimental conditions, the best-fit equation that resulted from regressing the CHI data onto the Control data for matched conditions was Y(CHI)=1.54X(control)-59, and this specific regression equation accounted for approximately 89% of the variance (based on R2). These results suggest that the basic cognition processes involved in simple- and choice-reaction time performance were approximately 1.54 times slower in CHI individuals in this sample as compared to non-CHI individuals. This pattern of performance substantiates the observation the CHI results in a slowing of even very basic cognition information processes.
Ferraro
F R
FR
Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks 58202-8380, USA. ferraro@badlands.nodak.edu
D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time