title: Right frontal pole cortical thickness and executive functioning in children with traumatic brain injury: the impact on social problems.
abstract: Cognitive and social outcomes may be negatively affected in children with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI). We hypothesized that executive function would mediate the association between right frontal pole cortical thickness and problematic social behaviors. Child participants with a history of TBI were recruited from inpatient admissions for long-term follow-up (n = 23; average age = 12.8, average time post-injury =3.2 years). Three measures of executive function, the Trail Making Test, verbal fluency test, and the Conners' Continuous Performance Test-Second edition (CPT-II), were administered to each participant while caregivers completed the Childhood Behavior Checklist (CBCL). All participants underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging following cognitive testing. Regression analysis demonstrated right frontal pole cortical thickness significantly predicted social problems. Measures of executive functioning also significantly predicted social problems; however, the mediation model testing whether executive function mediated the relationship between cortical thickness and social problems was not statistically significant. Right frontal pole cortical thickness and omission errors on the CPT-II predicted Social Problems on the CBCL. Results did not indicate that the association between cortical thickness and social problems was mediated by executive function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, 1060 SWKT, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Levan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, 1060 SWKT, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
authors.forename: Garrett
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Black
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, 1060 SWKT, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mietchen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroimaging, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baxter
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, 1060 SWKT, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.|The Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brock Kirwan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, 1060 SWKT, Provo, UT, 84602, USA. shawn_gale@byu.edu.|The Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA. shawn_gale@byu.edu.
authors.forename: Shawn D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Gale
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009929:Organ Size; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis
keywords: CPT-II; Child behavior checklist; Cortex; MRI; Social function