title: Long-term cognitive complaint and post-concussive symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury: the role of cognitive and affective factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether neuropsychological test performance or affective factors predict long-term post-concussive symptoms and cognitive complaint following mild traumatic brain injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included 21 individuals with mild traumatic brain injury, 19 individuals with spinal injury but no injury to the brain and 20 neurologically-normal controls. All participants completed measures of post-concussive symptoms, cognitive complaint, depression, anxiety, and personality and were administered a variety of neuropsychological tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The hypothesis that depression, anxiety and neuroticism would be better predictors of post-concussive symptoms than neuropsychological test performance for all three groups was supported. Contrary to expectations, however, neuropsychological test performance was a unique predictor of cognitive complaint for the mild traumatic brain injury group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was concluded that long-term post-concussive symptoms are largely representative of psychological symptoms and not brain damage, but that genuine, albeit subtle, cognitive deficits also may be present for long-term periods following mild traumatic brain injury.
authors.affiliation: Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Ross C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Genat
authors.forename: Jacqueline F I
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult