title: Memory functioning following traumatic brain injury in children with premorbid learning problems.
abstract: This study examines the memory functioning of 25 children who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and who had prior learning problems, 48 children with TBI who did not have prior learning problems, and 23 noninjured controls. The children with TBI and prior learning problems displayed significantly worse memory abilities than both the control participants and the children with TBI and no prior learning problems. They differed significantly from these 2 groups on measures of general memory, verbal memory, sound-symbol learning, and attention. The results suggest that children with premorbid learning problems who sustain TBI have less cognitive reserve and a lower threshold for the expression of cognitive impairments in areas that reflect preexisting learning and language problems, compared to children without premorbid learning problems.
authors.affiliation: University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, USA. farmerje@health.missouri.edu
authors.forename: Janet E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Farmer
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kanne
authors.forename: Jennifer S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Haut
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Brick
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Johnstone
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kirk
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014706:Verbal Learning