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Hand movement span after mild traumatic brain injury: a longitudinal study
Katherine A R Frencham1, Murray T Maybery, Allison M Fox
1School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia. katef@graduate.uwa.edu.au
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS
|September 20, 2006
Summary
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) did not impair immediate memory span acutely. However, at follow-up, mTBI patients showed persistent deficits in hand movement span, indicating impaired motor sequence learning.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) can lead to persistent cognitive deficits.
- Memory span is a crucial cognitive function potentially affected by mTBI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate memory span impairments in acute and post-acute phases after mTBI.
- To compare verbal, spatial, and hand movement memory spans between mTBI patients and controls.
Main Methods:
- Computerized immediate memory tasks assessing verbal, spatial, and hand movement sequences.
- Comparison of 22 adults with mTBI and 22 controls.
- Assessment within 1 month and 3-12 months post-injury under baseline and articulatory suppression conditions.
Main Results:
- No significant group differences in memory span were observed during the acute phase.
- At follow-up, verbal and spatial memory spans were equivalent between groups.
- mTBI group exhibited reduced baseline hand movement span and impaired practice effects at follow-up.
Conclusions:
- mTBI does not acutely impair immediate memory span.
- Persistent deficits in motor sequence learning (hand movement span) are present post-mTBI.
- Impaired hand movement span suggests a role for verbal recoding in motor sequence performance after mTBI.
