title: Changes in working memory after traumatic brain injury in children.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. hlevin@bcm.tmc.edu
authors.forename: Harvey S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Gerri
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hanten
authors.forename: Lifang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Swank
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ewing-Cobbs
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.forename: Marcia A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Max
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schachar
authors.forename: Sandra B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: Jill V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Hunter
mesh_terms: 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