The effect of cocaine on traumatic brain injury outcome: a preliminary evaluation

The effect of acute cocaine use on the functional and neuropsychological ou tcome of persons with traumatic brain injury, (TBI) was examined by compari ng persons with TBI who tested positive for cocaine at the time of admissio n with persons with negative drug and alcohol screens. Subjects were matche d for age, admission GCS score, level of education, and aetiology of injury (closed vs penetrating head injury). Dependent measures were: the Disabili ty Rating Scale, the Functional Independence Measure, and selected neuropsy chological tests. No group differences were found in DRS, FIM, FIM subsets, or FIM change. However, the cocaine group scored significantly lower than the no-drugs group on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, but did not di ffer on any of the other neuropsychological tests.