title: The impact of verbal memory encoding and consolidation deficits during recovery from moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Encoding and consolidation deficits appear to account for verbal memory impairment following traumatic brain injury (TBI). It is unknown whether these abilities vary during TBI recovery. We sought to determine the pattern and impact of verbal encoding and consolidation deficits following TBI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-three participants with moderate-to-severe TBI and 25 age- and education-matched control participants' verbal memory abilities were assessed at 2 time points approximately 1 year apart; assessments occurred at acute and chronic visits for TBI survivors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and Item Specific Deficit Approach indices of encoding, consolidation, and retrieval deficits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In contrast to the controls, participants with TBI showed impaired verbal memory characterized by encoding and consolidation deficits at both time points. The TBI group's short-delayed recall and consolidation scores improved between the acute and chronic assessments. Encoding (primary) and consolidation (secondary) deficits emerged as predictors of acute and chronic recall in the TBI group. Also, acute visit encoding deficits predicted chronic visit delayed recall in TBI survivors, but acute consolidation deficits did not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that memory rehabilitation efforts focused on improving encoding of verbal material may be useful during both the acute and chronic phases of recovery following TBI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry/Psychology Division, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California 90502, USA. mwright@labiomed.org
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmitter-Edgecombe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000647:Amnesia / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D020208:Brain Injury, Chronic / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D012691:Serial Learning; D014163:Transfer, Psychology; D014706:Verbal Learning; D055815:Young Adult