SUBJECTIVE COMPLAINTS VERSUS NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TEST-PERFORMANCE AFTER CARDIOPULMONARY BYPASS

The study by Newman et al. (Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 1989) c ompared subjective reports of cognition with assessed cognitive perfor mance in patients one year after coronary artery bypass surgery. The c urrent study reinvestigated this relation in a larger and more heterog eneous group - 90 cardiac patients six months after cardiopulmonary by pass - using a more extensive checklist of subjective complaints and d ifferent neuropsychological tests. In agreement with previous research , the patients who reported complaints in specific cognitive areas wer e not found to have impaired cognitive functions as assessed with appr opriate neuropsychological tests. The patients who reported deteriorat ion in cognition after surgery were found to have higher levels of dep ression and state anxiety. These differences were significant for almo st all evaluated cognitive functions. An alternative explanation of th e relationship between mood and cognitive complaints based on personal ity traits, i.e., neuroticism, is offered.