A comparison of cognitive functioning in older adults with and without traumatic brain injury.

Objective: Cognitive impairments are common sequelae of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and are often associated with the natural process of aging. Few studies have examined the effect of both age and TBI on cognitive functioning. The purpose of this study was to compare cognitive functioning between older adults who sustained a TBI to an age-matched group of individuals without a brain injury and to determine whether the presence or absence of a genetic marker apolipoprotein epsilon (APOEepsilon4 allele) accounts for additional cognitive decline in both groups examined.

Neurobehavioral consequences of traumatic brain injury.

At least 1.4 million people die, or receive hospital or emergency care every year in the United States as a result of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Many more are treated in other settings or receive no treatment at all.

Traumatic brain injury in the elderly: diagnostic and treatment challenges.

The purpose of this review is to introduce geriatric practitioners to issues and challenges presented in the elderly after onset of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Issues discussed include the magnitude of TBI in the elderly, mechanisms of onset, issues specific to both acute and rehabilitation care for the elderly with TBI, and specific physical and behavioral manifestations of TBI that may need to be addressed on an inpatient or outpatient basis. General guidelines are provided for the diagnosis and treatment of older individuals who have TBI, with specific clinical scenarios illustrating key points.

The role of self-discrepancy theory in understanding post-traumatic brain injury affective disorders: a pilot study.

This pilot study examined the utility of self-discrepancy theory (SDT) in explaining post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) depression and anxiety. The SDT model was expanded to include the discrepancy between the postinjury self and the preinjury self. Study participants were 21 individuals with mild to severe TBI residing in the community, who completed the Selves Interview, the Selves Adjective Checklist, the Beck Depression Inventory-II and the Beck Anxiety Inventory.

The impact of age on traumatic brain injury.

Older individuals with TBI differ from younger adults with TBI in several ways, including their incidence rates, etiology of injury, nature of complications, lengths of hospitalization, functional outcomes, and mortality. Despite the greater likelihood of poorer functional outcomes, older adults with TBI often achieve good functional outcomes and can live in community settings after receiving appropriate rehabilitation services, although at higher costs and longer hospitalizations than younger individuals. The future of rehabilitation care for elderly patients after TBI is uncertain due to financial limitations associated with the implementation of the PPS payment system by CMS.

Relationship between depression and psychosocial functioning after traumatic brain injury.

Objective: To examine the relationship between depression and psychosocial functioning up to 5 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Design: Longitudinal cohort study with 2 assessments completed.

Setting: Community.

Psychiatric challenges in the first 6 years after traumatic brain injury: cross-sequential analyses of Axis I disorders.

Objective: To examine the preinjury rates of Axis I disorders and the prospective rates within the first 6 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Design: Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and cross-sequential.

Setting: Community-based research and training center.

Screening for substance abuse in individuals with traumatic brain injury.

Primary Objective: To determine the utility of the CAGE, the Brief Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (BMAST) and the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI-3) with individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), two studies were conducted examining the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of these instruments.

Research Design: Data from self-report instruments were compared to a clinical interview, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID), to determine the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity.

Methods And Procedures: Two studies were conducted.

Peer support in the community: initial findings of a mentoring program for individuals with traumatic brain injury and their families.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of a community-based peer support program for individuals and their family members following traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Settings: Community-based sample of family members and individuals with traumatic brain injury.

Participants: Twenty individuals who had participated in the peer support program (11 individuals with TBI and 9 family members).

Sexual dysfunction after traumatic brain injury.

Objective: The frequency of self reported sexual difficulties was examined in a group of 322 individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) ($N = 193$ men; 129 women) and contrasted with reports of sexual difficulties in 264 individuals without disability (152 men; 112 women) residing in the community. Physiological, physical, and body images problems impacting sexual functioning were examined individually and then summed into a sexual dysfunction score. Mood, quality of life, health status and presence of an endocrine disorder were examined as predictors of sexual difficulties post TBI.