Selective deficit of divided attention following traumatic brain injury: case reports

Divided attention (DA) impairment may be the most salient and commonly reported cognitive dysfunction following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Even so, DA impairment is sometimes overlooked during hospitalization. Our group experienced two TBI patients with selective deficits of DA recognized after their return-to-work. Neither patient showed abnormalities in standard tests for higher brain dysfunction. Both, however, performed poorly in a newly developed dual-task test. DA should be assessed more thoroughly and carefully in TBI patients. Dual-task testing may be sensitive in the detection of DA disturbances.