Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 28, 2026
Detecting Behavioral Deficits in Rats After Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: January 30, 2018
Utility of the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory As an Outcome Measure: A VA TBI Model Systems Study
Heather G Belanger1, Marc A Silva, Alison J Donnell
1Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, James A. Haley VAMC, Tampa, Florida (Drs Belanger, Silva, Donnell, McKenzie-Hartman, and Vanderploeg); Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, Tampa, Florida (Drs Belanger, Silva, McKenzie-Hartman, and Vanderploeg); Departments of Psychology (Drs Belanger and Vanderploeg) and Psychiatry and Neurosciences (Drs Belanger, Donnell, and Vanderploeg), University of South Florida, Tampa; Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Dr Lamberty); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis (Dr Lamberty).
Objective:
To examine the utility of the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI)-a measure of postconcussion symptoms used within the Veterans Health Administration-as an index of rehabilitation outcome.
Setting:
Veterans Administration Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model Systems program.
Participants:
A total of 159 Veterans (14% with mild TBI; 86% with moderate-severe TBI).
Main Measures:
Disability Rating Scale; Functional Independence Measure; Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended; NSI; Participation Assessment with Recombined Tools-Objective; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version; Satisfaction With Life Scale; Supervision Rating Scale.
Analyses:
Correlations and exploratory factor analyses examined the interrelations among outcome measures. Hierarchical regression analyses were utilized to determine if the NSI predicted rehabilitation outcome measures after controlling for demographic variables, TBI severity, and time since injury. NSI reliable changes from pretreatment to 1-year follow-up were examined. Receiver operating characteristics curve analyses were conducted to evaluate the ability of changes in the NSI to predict meaningful change in functioning and employment status.
Results:
The NSI correlated with psychological distress measures. The NSI administered prior to brain injury rehabilitation had limited predictive utility beyond satisfaction with life. A minority of patients (32%) demonstrated reliable changes on the NSI from baseline to 1-year follow-up. Changes on the NSI were not predictive of meaningful change in employment or functioning.
Conclusion:
The NSI was not useful for assessing meaningful change in a sample of mixed severity TBI patients.
