title: Predictors of memory and processing speed dysfunctions after traumatic brain injury.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aims of this study were to evaluate the predictive value of admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, duration of unconsciousness, neurosurgical intervention, and countercoup lesion on the impairment of memory and processing speed functions six months after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) based on a structural equation modeling.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty TBI patients recruited from Neurosurgical Department at the Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital were administered the Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III processing speed index to evaluate the memory and processing speed functions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study showed that GCS scores accounted for 40% of the variance in memory/processing speed. No significant predictive effects were found for the other three variables. GCS classification at the time of TBI seems to correspond moderately to the severity of memory/processing speed dysfunctions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study demonstrated that admission GCS score is a robust predictor of memory/processing speed dysfunctions after TBI. The results should be replicated with a large sample of patients with TBI, or be extended by examining other potential clinical predictors.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Poznan University, 61-701 Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Winardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA ; Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Aij-Lie
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Kwan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tse-Lun
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA ; Department of Neurosurgery, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
authors.forename: Chun-Po
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hung-Pei
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sheehan
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chwen-Yng
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D003128:Coma / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors