TBI Cognitive & Behavioral Outcomes Flashcards

Which cognitive domain is most commonly impaired following mild TBI?

Answer: Attention and processing speed

Attention deficits and slowed processing speed are the most consistently reported cognitive impairments after mild TBI/concussion.

What is 'post-traumatic amnesia' (PTA) and why is its duration clinically important?

Answer: Period of confusion and inability to form new memories after injury; predicts severity and prognosis

PTA duration — the time until continuous memory returns — is a strong predictor of TBI severity and long-term functional outcome.

Frontal lobe damage from TBI most commonly results in which behavioral changes?

Answer: Disinhibition, impulsivity, poor executive function, and emotional dysregulation

The frontal lobe governs executive function and behavioral control; damage causes disinhibition, impulsivity, and difficulty planning.

Which standardized tool is used to assess post-traumatic amnesia and track cognitive recovery?

Answer: Westmead PTA Scale

The Westmead PTA Scale is a validated bedside tool used to track orientation and memory during the PTA phase of TBI recovery.

Pseudobulbar affect (PBA) after TBI is characterized by which symptom pattern?

Answer: Involuntary, uncontrollable episodes of laughing or crying disproportionate to mood

PBA involves involuntary emotional expression — laughing or crying — disconnected from the patient's actual emotional state due to corticobulbar pathway disruption.

Depression following TBI is attributed to which combination of factors?

Answer: Both neurobiological changes (limbic/prefrontal disruption) and psychosocial stressors

Post-TBI depression has both neurobiological origins (damage to mood-regulating circuits) and psychosocial components (loss of function, identity, relationships).