Traumatic Brain Injury, Working Memory, and Violent Crime in a Sample of U.S. Service Members Involved in the...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Forensic Psychology
• Military Medicine

Background:

• Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is prevalent in active duty service members.
• The impact of mTBI on cognitive functions relevant to psycholegal capacities remains unclear.
• Understanding mTBI's effects is crucial for individuals within the military justice system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of mTBI in service members charged with criminal offenses.
• To examine the relationship between mTBI history and working memory impairment.
• To assess the potential impact of mTBI on psycholegal capacities.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of forensic evaluations for U.S. service members (n=80).
• Utilized Working Memory Index (WMI) scores from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition.
• Compared WMI scores between service members with and without a history of mTBI.

Main Results:

• A history of mTBI was identified in 20% of the study sample.
• The average time from mTBI diagnosis to evaluation was nearly 4 years.
• No statistically significant difference was found in WMI scores between mTBI-positive (mean=98) and mTBI-negative (mean=103) groups.

Conclusions:

• mTBI history is common among service members in the military justice system.
• Working memory performance in service members with mTBI history was within the average range.
• Further research is necessary to fully understand how mTBI history influences psycholegal abilities in service members.