Traumatic brain injury: influence of blood alcohol level on post-acute cognitive function

Alcohol intoxication frequently contributes to the occurrence of traumatic brain injury. Few studies, however, have examined whether acute pre-injury alcohol intoxication or premorbid history of alcohol abuse exacerbate cogni tive impairments that commonly result from traumatic brain injury. This stu dy examined the influence of blood alcohol level at time of hospital admiss ion on cognitive functioning during the pose-acute stage of recovery from t raumatic brain injury. After controlling for pre-injury history of alcohol abuse, hospital admission blood alcohol level was predictive of poorer dela yed verbal memory, greater decrement in verbal memory over time, and poorer visuospatial functioning. Moreover, there were non-significant trends for higher blood alcohol levels to predict poorer performance on measures of im mediate verbal memory and perseveration.