title: Ecological prospective memory assessment in patients with traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prospective memory (PM) impairments are often observed after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although PM is crucial for daily functioning, few sensitive, valid and ecological clinical tests are available. To address these concerns, the authors developed a PM task, the TEMP, using naturalistic stimuli, in which each PM phase and component is evaluated independently in time- and event-based conditions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results show that moderate and severe TBI patients (n = 30), evaluated after spontaneous neurological recovery, experienced problems in learning the delayed intentions content and retrieving these intentions in the right context (prospective component), especially in the time-based condition. They also recalled fewer associated actions (retrospective component), but only in the time-based condition. Correlations revealed that the retrospective component was mainly supported by episodic retrospective memory processes, while the prospective component was supported by episodic retrospective memory processes, along with attentional and executive functions. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between performance on the TEMP and results on a questionnaire assessing PM functioning in daily living completed by participants' relatives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TEMP therefore appears to be a sensitive tool for assessing PM problems that combines internal and ecological validity.
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Sciences Institute, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: Marie-Julie
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Potvin
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rouleau
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Audy
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Charbonneau
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Giguère
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult