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Published on: December 4, 2013
Working memory performance following paediatric traumatic brain injury
Heather M Conklin1, Cynthia F Salorio, Beth S Slomine
1Division of Behavioural Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA. heather.conklin@stjude.org
Insights
Children with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuries show impaired working memory. Injury severity and cognitive ability predict outcomes, highlighting the need for targeted interventions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury
- Neuropsychology
- Cognitive Rehabilitation
Background:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children can lead to persistent cognitive deficits.
- Working memory is crucial for academic and daily functioning.
- Understanding factors influencing working memory post-TBI is vital for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate working memory in children with moderate-to-severe TBI.
- To identify pre-injury, injury-related, and developmental predictors of working memory impairment.
- To compare working memory performance to normative data.
Main Methods:
- Assessed working memory in 62 children using digit span backward (performance measure).
- Utilized parent-reported Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) for rater-based assessment.
- Employed regression analyses to identify predictive factors.
Main Results:
- Working memory was significantly impaired in the TBI group compared to normative samples.
- Injury severity, time since injury, and overall cognitive ability predicted working memory performance.
- No significant correlation was found between performance-based and rater-based working memory measures.
Conclusions:
- Both performance and parent-report measures detect cognitive dysfunction after pediatric TBI.
- Clinical and demographic factors can predict working memory outcomes.
- Findings inform interventions and caregiver education for children with TBI.
Primary Objective:
The present study investigated working memory ability in children who sustained moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuries in relation to pre-injury, injury-related and developmental factors. It was hypothesized that there would be a correlation between performance- and rater-based working memory measures; factors predictive of working memory impairment would include earlier age at injury, more severe injury, longer time since injury and poorer overall cognitive functioning; and working memory performance would be significantly impaired when compared to normative populations.
Methods And Procedures:
Working memory was assessed in 62 children using a traditional performance measure (digit span backward) and parent report (Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)).
Main Outcomes And Results:
Contrary to prediction, there was no statistical association between performance- and rater-based measures of working memory. Regression analyses revealed injury severity, time-since-injury, overall cognitive ability and attention span were predictive of working memory performance. As a group, working memory was impaired relative to normative samples on both measures.
Conclusions:
Performance- and rater-based working memory measures, while not significantly correlated, are both sensitive to acquired cognitive dysfunction following paediatric traumatic brain injury. Demographic and clinical factors may be used to predict cognitive outcomes, educate caregivers and design clinical interventions.
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