Changes in working memory after traumatic brain injury in children.
The impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on working memory (WM) was studied in 144 children (79 with mild, 23 with moderate, and 42 with severe injuries) who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3 months and were tested at baseline and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postinjury. An n-back WM task for letter identity was administered with memory load ranging from 1- to 3-back and a 0-back condition. A TBI Severity x Quadratic Tune interaction showed that net percentage correct (correct detections of targets minus false alarms) was significantly lower in severe than in mild TBI groups. The Left Frontal Lesions x Age interaction approached significance. Mechanisms mediating late decline in WM and the effects of left frontal lesions are discussed.
Levin
Harvey S
HS
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. hlevin@bcm.tmc.edu
Hanten
Gerri
G
Zhang
Lifang
L
Swank
Paul R
PR
Ewing-Cobbs
Linda
L
Dennis
Maureen
M
Barnes
Marcia A
MA
Max
Jeffrey
J
Schachar
Russell
R
Chapman
Sandra B
SB
Hunter
Jill V
JV
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D020208:Brain Injury, Chronic / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011932:Reading; D012307:Risk Factors