title: Divergent manifestations of irritability in patients with mild and moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury: perspectives of awareness and neurocognitive correlates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate irritability in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (msTBI), respectively.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was conducted at a level I trauma centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 160 participants, which included 80 healthy subjects and 80 patients with TBI, were recruited. Irritability was assessed by the National Taiwan University Irritability Scale and other cognitive functions, which included memory, executive function and information processing, were also evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed post-injury self-reported irritability in patients with mTBI and family-reported irritability in patients with msTBI were significantly higher than irritability reported by healthy participants. Irritability was significantly associated with information processing ability in patients with mTBI, but it was not associated with any cognitive functions in patients with msTBI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Irritability was found to be prominent after TBI. Divergent causes of irritability seemed apparent in patients with mTBI and msTBI. Irritability after mTBI appeared might be related to the cognitive functions disrupted after the injury, whereas irritability after msTBI appeared to result directly from the brain lesions involved.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Psychology, Master of Behavioral Sciences, Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, Chang-Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan. ccyang@mail.cgu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Chi-Cheng
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Sheng-Jean
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wei-Chi
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yi-Hsin
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Mau-Sun
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hua
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004644:Emotions; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007508:Irritable Mood; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D057566:Self Report; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices