Neuropsychological outcome and community re-integration following traumatic brain injury: the impact of frontal and non-frontal lesions.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between cortical lesion location and brain injury outcome. It was hypothesized that focal frontal lesions after traumatic brain injury (TBI) would result in decreased executive and memory functioning and poor community participation outcome.


METHODS
Three quasi-experimental, prospective studies employed a total of 643 patients with focal frontal, fronto-temporal, non-frontal or no lesions in CT scans.


METHODS
CT scan analysis, neuropsychological assessment, the Neurobehavioural Functioning Inventory (NFI), the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ).


RESULTS
In study 1, frontal and fronto-temporal groups performed worse in executive functioning and better in constructional ability. Study 2 found no differences in neuropsychological and community re-integration measures at 1-year follow-up. Study 3 found comparable neuropsychological test score improvement across groups over 1 year.


CONCLUSIONS
Results are consistent with previous findings and document the potential for test score improvement with rehabilitation and suggest that lesion location needs to be considered when individual rehabilitation plans are being implemented in the post-acute stage of TBI.
Lehtonen
S
S
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Stringer
A Y
AY
Millis
S
S
Boake
C
C
Englander
J
J
Hart
T
T
High
W
W
Macciocchi
S
S
Meythaler
J
J
Novack
T
T
Whyte
J
J
D000058:Accidental Falls; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012917:Social Adjustment; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed