Spatial-temporal characteristics of perceptual organization following acquired brain injury.
OBJECTIVE
To assess characteristics of perceptual organization following brain injury.


METHODS
A repeated measures between groups design.


METHODS
Perceptual thresholds were compared between 10 persons with brain injury and 10 demographically matched healthy control subjects. Ten young control subjects were also tested to evaluate effects of normal ageing on these processes. Participants viewed stimuli on a computer monitor in which regularities existed in either the spatial or temporal domain. Psychophysical measurements were made of perceptual thresholds, as well as time required to process stimuli.


RESULTS
Relative to age-matched control subjects, patients were impaired on all measures, with greatest deficits in conditions that contained a temporal component. Impairment did not occur with normal ageing.


CONCLUSIONS
These results reflect cognitive impairment resulting from reduced cortical integrative function as well as reduced information processing speed. Such deficits at this level of processing likely impact subsequent perceptual function, such as object recognition.
Kurylo
Daniel D
DD
Psychology Department, Brooklyn College CUNY, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA. dkurylo@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Waxman
Richard
R
Kezin
Ozlem
O
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011930:Reaction Time; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D013028:Space Perception; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis