Neurobehavioral Characteristics of Older Veterans With Remote Traumatic Brain Injury.
Carrie B Peltz, Raquel C Gardner, Kimbra Kenney and 3 others
PMID 27323220WHAT IT FOUND
Older veterans with remote TBI had worse everyday function, more depression and PTSD symptoms, and poorer executive function/processing speed than peers without TBI; memory and language scores were not different.
Key findings
01Veterans with remote TBI reported worse sleep, leisure activity, everyday function, and satisfaction with life than peers without TBI, and self-reported function remained worse after adjustment.
02Veterans with remote TBI had nearly two times higher depression scores and 18% higher PTSD symptom scores than non-TBI participants, and these differences remained significant after adjustment.
03Learning/memory and language scores did not differ between groups, but executive function/processing speed was worse in veterans with remote TBI and worsened with greater severity or frequency.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
It measured everyone at one time, so it cannot show whether the deficits are static, progressive, or caused by TBI. Remote TBI history was often self-report because medical records were not available, and chart validation was possible for only 51% of participants with TBI. The participants were independently living veterans who could manage daily activities, and veterans with more impairment may have been less likely to take part, so findings may not apply to more impaired veterans. The sample was predominantly white and male, so it may not represent women, civilians, or other veteran groups. Many participants had repeated or more severe injuries; only 15 of the 75 participants with TBI had a single mild TBI, so results may not apply to a single mild TBI.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that a single mild TBI causes these late-life deficits. Only 15 of the 75 participants with TBI had a single mild TBI, and the authors state the results were likely driven by repeated mild TBI and moderate-to-severe TBI.