title: Neuropsychological functioning of combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury.
abstract: This study examined the neuropsychological performance of 125 outpatient Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and nonacute mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) (n = 66) and PTSD (n = 59) across multiple cognitive domains to determine whether mild TBI results in greater impairment among those with PTSD. Profile analyses revealed that veterans with PTSD and mild TBI did not differ significantly from those with just PTSD across domains, suggesting that comorbid mild TBI does not result in an additive effect. A norms-based comparison also revealed that neither group demonstrated impaired performance on any of the objective neuropsychological measures examined. However, both groups endorsed moderately elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety, indicating that comorbid psychopathology may contribute to subjective cognitive complaints.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA. Jason.Soble@va.gov
authors.forename: Jason R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Soble
authors.forename: Lisa B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Spanierman
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald Smith
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010045:Outpatients; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D014474:Unconsciousness / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*