title: Persistent cognitive deficits after whiplash injury: a comparative study with mild traumatic brain injury patients and healthy volunteers.
abstract: In this study, we evaluated persistent cognitive deficits in whiplash injury (WI) patients and compared these to cognitive functioning in mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) patients and healthy controls (HC). Sixty-one patients suffering from a WI were compared with 57 patients suffering from a MTBI and with 30 HC. They were examined with an extensive neuropsychological test battery assessing attention, memory, and visuospatial and executive functions. In both patient groups, participants showed persistent cognitive symptoms (more than 6 months post-injury). The two patient groups did not differ significantly with regard to measurements of attention, memory, and visuospatial and executive functions. The WI group, as compared to the HC group, was found to be significantly more deficient in speed of performance during sustained and divided attention, focused attention, alternating attention, the storage of new auditory-verbal unrelated information into memory, the long-term delayed recall of stored auditory-verbal related information from memory, abstract reasoning and accuracy of performance during planning and problem solving. No differences could be found between both groups concerning speed of information processing, visuospatial abilities and verbal fluency.
authors.affiliation: Center for Epilepsy and Acquired Brain Injury (CEPOS), Rooienberg 21, 2570, Duffel, Belgium. kurt.beeckmans@emmaus.be.|Department of Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Free University Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium. kurt.beeckmans@emmaus.be.
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Beeckmans
authors.affiliation: Toxicological Center, Antwerp University, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.|Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Cleo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crunelle
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Free University Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Ingelgom
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University Hospital Louvain, Weligerveld 1, 3212, Pellenberg, Belgium.
authors.forename: Karla
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Michiels
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Lifespan Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Free University Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dierckx
authors.affiliation: Center for Epilepsy and Acquired Brain Injury (CEPOS), Rooienberg 21, 2570, Duffel, Belgium.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vancoillie
authors.affiliation: Center for Epilepsy and Acquired Brain Injury (CEPOS), Rooienberg 21, 2570, Duffel, Belgium.
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hauman
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), Antwerp University, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sabbe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D014911:Whiplash Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Attention; Memory; Mild traumatic brain injury; Whiplash injury