AUDITORY VERBAL-LEARNING TEST COMPONENTS AS MEASURES OF THE SEVERITY OF CLOSED-HEAD INJURY

Auditory verbal learning and memory was assessed in 18 patients with m oderate-severe closed-head injury (CHI). Compared to a matched control group, performance of the CHI subjects on all measures of the Auditor y Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) was significantly worse. Discriminant fu nction analysis correctly classified 90% of subjects as CHI or control using the three most reliable measures of the AVLT. Retention of the learning list following the distractor trial varied with severity of i njury as indexed by duration of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA). The more severe the injury (longer PTA), the fewer words were recalled after i nterference (r = -0.72). Susceptibility of verbal memory to retroactiv e interference is sensitive to the presence and severity of CHI.