Cognitive and affective sequelae in complicated and uncomplicated mild traumatic brain injury

This study examined cognitive and affective disturbances in patients with complicated (presence of space occupying lesion) vs uncomplicated (absence of space occupying lesion) mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). It was predicted that the complicated group would perform worse in both domains compared to the uncomplicated group. Participants were 28 patients admitted to an inpatient neurorehabilitation unit with mild TBI and assessed within 40 days of their injury. The complicated group (n = 14) was matched to the uncomplicated group (n = 14) on Glasgow Coma Scale score and compared to 14 normal controls on the BNI Screen for Higher Cerebral Functions (BNIS). The complicated group showed greater cognitive disturbances than the uncomplicated and control groups, while both TBI groups performed worse on affective measures. These findings document the role of affective disturbances in mild TBI. They also highlight the importance of early intervention strategies for improving affective communication in patients with mild TBI.