title: Subjective cognitive complaints and neuropsychological test performance following military-related traumatic brain injury.
abstract: This study examined the relation between neuropsychological test performance and self-reported cognitive complaints following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Participants were 109 servicemembers from the U.S. military who completed a neuropsychological evaluation within the first 2 yr following mild-severe TBI. Measures included the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-C), Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI), and 17 select measures from a larger neurocognitive test battery that corresponded to three self-reported cognitive complaints from the NSI (i.e., memory, attention/concentration, and processing speed/organization). Self-reported cognitive complaints were significantly correlated with psychological distress (PCL-C total: r = 0.50-0.58; half the PAI clinical scales: r = 0.40-0.58). In contrast, self-reported cognitive complaints were not significantly correlated with overall neurocognitive functioning (with the exception of five measures). There was a low rate of agreement between neurocognitive test scores and self-reported cognitive complaints. For the large minority of the sample (38.5%-45.9%), self-reported cognitive complaints were reported in the presence of neurocognitive test scores that fell within normal limits. In sum, self-reported cognitive complaints were not associated with neurocognitive test performance, but rather were associated with psychological distress. These results provide information to contextualize cognitive complaints following TBI.
authors.affiliation: Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, Bethesda, MD; Neurology, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD; and Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Bethesda, MD;
authors.forename: Louis M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: French
authors.forename: Rael T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: Tracey
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brickell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory; PTSD Checklist; Personality Assessment Inventory; cognitive complaints; military; neurocognitive measures; psychological distress; self-reported symptoms; servicemembers; traumatic brain injury