Article

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain patterns of cognitive recovery during the first year
after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Specifically, differential recovery across
cognitive domains was investigated. DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal,
naturalistic, 1-year follow-up study. SETTING: Large, urban inpatient
neurorehabilitation program. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=75) with moderate to
severe TBI. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients with
TBI were followed over the course of 1 year, during which participants'
neuropsychological status was repeatedly evaluated at 3 time points (2, 5, and 12
months postinjury). RESULTS: Multilevel modeling results were consistent with
previous research, demonstrating that recovery in the first year postinjury is
asymptotic in nature, with more accelerated recovery occurring during the first 5
to 6 months. Importantly, results also suggest that recovery is not uniform
across cognitive domains. From 2 to 5 months postinjury, steeper recovery curves
were revealed for indices of memory, speeded executive function, verbal
abstraction, and manual dexterity relative to untimed tests of executive function
and word knowledge. Recovery trajectories did not significantly vary as a
function of cognitive domain over the course of the last 5 to 12 months.
CONCLUSIONS: These results are the first to explore trajectories of recovery
directly as a function of multiple cognitive domains.
They are expected to have
implications for rehabilitative efforts as well as our understanding of the
architecture of natural recovery after TBI.

Langue : ANGLAIS