The effects of traumatic brain injuries on information processing

Many individuals experience memory impairment subsequent to traumatic brain injuries (TBI). These memory deficits may result from general impairment of information processing rather than damage to memory critical neurological systems. The investigators examined learning time and recall errors for easy and hard word pairs in a distraction and no-distraction condition to examine learning patterns. Although results indicated that individuals with and without TBI generally showed the same learning and retrieval patterns, individuals with TBI did so in an accentuated manner. This suggests that attentional deficits associated with TBI are not responsible for subsequent memory deficits.