NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOME AT 1-YEAR POST HEAD-INJURY

Neuropsychological outcome at 1 year postinjury was examined prospecti vely in representative groups of 436 adult head-injured participants a nd 121 general-trauma control participants. A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological measures was administered. The head-injured group performed significantly worse than the trauma controls on most measure s (p < .01). However, the magnitude and pervasiveness of the impairmen ts depended on the severity of the head injury. This study provides in formation about expected ranges of impairment as a function of differe nt severity levels and appropriate comparison values. The findings rai se important questions about clinically held beliefs of differential s ensitivity of neuropsychological measures. Furthermore, the substantia l variability in outcome observed underscores the importance of examin ing factors that seem to exacerbate or mitigate the effects of brain d amage.