Assessment of strategic self-regulation in traumatic brain injury: Its relationship to injury severity and psychosocial outcome

Author(s): Dawson, D., Boutet, I., Schwartz, M. L., Stuss, D. T.

Journal/Book: Neuropsychology. 2000; 14: 750 First St NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242, USA. Amer Psychological Assoc. 491-500.

Abstract: Standard neuropsychological tests administered in a constrained and artificial laboratory environment are often insensitive to the real-life deficits faced by patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Revised Strategy Application Test (R-SAT) creates an unstructured environment in the laboratory in which environmental cues and internal habits oppose the most efficient strategy, thus mimicking the real-life situations that are problematic for patients with TBI. In this study, R-SAT performance was related both to severity of TBI (i.e., depth of coma) sustained 2-3 years earlier and to quality of life outcome as assessed by the Sickness Impact Profile. This relationship held after accounting for variance attributable to TBI-related slowing and inattention. These findings support the validity of the R-SAT and suggest that behavioral correlates of quality of life outcome in TBT can be assessed in the laboratory with unstructured tasks.

Note: Article Levine B, Baycrest Ctr Geriatr Care, Rotman Res Inst, 3560 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, CANADA

Keyword(s): CLOSED-HEAD-INJURY; FRONTAL-LOBE DAMAGE; HUMAN PREFRONTAL CORTEX; POSTTRAUMATIC AMNESIA; EPISODIC MEMORY; WORKING-MEMORY; LESIONS; DYSFUNCTION; ATTENTION; DISSOCIATION

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