Neuroanatomical correlates of the clock drawing test in patients with traumatic brain injury.
OBJECTIVE
The clock drawing test (CDT) is a quick and easy to administer test that has traditionally shown parietal lobe dysfunction. The aim of this study was to correlate performance on the CDT with the presence of acute traumatic cerebral injuries sustained after traumatic brain injury (TBI).


METHODS
A retrospective study was conducted on 170 patients with TBI of all severity admitted to an acute care setting. These patients sustained different types of injuries (epidural haematoma, subdural haematoma, subarachnoid haemorrhage, intraparenchymal haematoma and brain oedema) in different sites (frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital lobes, bilateral and right or left hemisphere).


RESULTS
The CDT total score was significantly lower for subjects presenting subarachnoid haemorrhage (4.80 ± 3.34 vs 7.04 ± 3.14, t(168df) = 4.477, p < 0.001) and for those presenting brain oedema (4.50 ± 3.06 vs 6.69 ± 3.38, t(168df) = 4.214, p < 0.001), parietal injury (5.15 ± 3.17 vs 6.42 ± 3.52, t(168df) = 2.416, p = 0.017) or bilateral injuries (5.28 ± 3.31 vs 6.62 ± 3.44, t(168df) = 2.569, p = 0.011) compared to those who did not.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides empirical evidence of the relationship between TBIs and results on the CDT, supporting previous studies done with other populations.
de Guise
Elaine
E
Traumatic Brain Injury Program, McGill University Health Centre-Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Canada. elaine.deguise@muhc.mcgill.ca
LeBlanc
Joanne
J
Gosselin
Nadia
N
Marcoux
Judith
J
Champoux
Marie-Claude
MC
Couturier
Céline
C
Lamoureux
Julie
J
Dagher
Jehane H
JH
Maleki
Mohammed
M
Feyz
Mitra
M
D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies