Depression after traumatic brain injury as a function of Glasgow Outcome Score.

One hundred and five patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) were assessed for depressive symptomatology at 6 months postinjury and 66 of those patients were examined again at 12 months postinjury. At 6 months, 42% of the patients with TBI and 20% of the Other Injury Control Group (OIC) were identified as depressed. Individuals with poor outcome (as measured by Glasgow Outcome Score [GOS]) had a higher frequency of depressive symptomatology than those with good GOS outcome.

Neuropsychological, psychosocial and vocational correlates of the Glasgow Outcome Scale at 6 months post-injury: a study of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury patients.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) subjects at Glasgow Outcome Scale levels 3 (severe disability), 4 (moderate disability), 5 (good recovery), and an other-injury control group (OIC) were compared in terms of neuropsychological, psychosocial, and vocational functioning 6 months after injury. Subjects were a sample of 100 patients with a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and a matched sample of 30 other-injury control subjects (OIC) enrolled in the UCLA Brain Injury Research Center study of TBI outcome. Overall, the results showed a systematic decrease in mean neuropsychological test performance as a function of increasing GOS severity, as well as an increased prevalence of symptoms of depression and lower ratings on measures assessing employability and capacity for self care.

Depression, cognition, and functional correlates of recovery outcome after traumatic brain injury.

The present study investigated the prevalence and magnitude of depressive symptomatology in a sample of patients who had sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI) six months earlier. Depression was examined as a function of recovery outcome status, and its association with neuropsychological functioning, personal competency, and employability was also explored. Subjects were 100 patients who had previously sustained moderate-to-severe TBI who were enrolled as research subjects in the UCLA Brain Injury Research Center, and 30 matched control subjects who had sustained traumatic injuries other than to the head six months prior to evaluation.

Normative data stratified by age and education for the Neuropsychological Screening Battery for Hispanics (NeSBHIS): Initial report.

Neuropsychological assessment of monolingual Spanish-speaking people in the United States is both a common practice and an ethical dilemma. Lack of appropriate tests, the absence of norms, use of interpreters, and the multiplicity of in-house translations of commonly used measures add to the problem of accurate assessment. This paper helps address the lack of appropriate measures for the neuropsychological assessment of Latinos in the United States by providing a standardization of the Neuropsychological Screening Battery for Hispanics (NeSBHIS).

Postpolio syndrome--response to deprenyl (selegiline).

Two patients with postpolio syndrome are presented. The first case developed mild Parkinson's syndrome, for which she was treated with a levodopa/carbidopa combination followed by the institution of deprenyl. An unexpected improvement in the symptoms of postpolio syndrome was noted.

Cognitive and behavioral aspects of brain-injury rehabilitation.

The most exciting area in current neurologic rehabilitation concerns cognitive remediation following brain injury. The experimental substrate upon which such rehabilitation rests is not yet firm, but results to date are suggestive of a positive effect, if not in specific cognitive ability, at least in functional and behavioral outcome. As more controlled studies are performed and as improved neuropsychological, behavioral, and social measures are developed, it can be anticipated that improved patient selection and therapeutic intervention will emerge.

Evoked potential testing in relatives of multiple sclerosis patients.

Evoked potential (EP) tests were obtained in 110 neurologically normal first-degree relatives of patients with multiple sclerosis. Visual EP tests were performed in all relatives; brainstem auditory and median nerve somatosensory EP tests were performed in 67 relatives. The relatives had a mean visual EP P100 latency that was significantly longer than that for normal subjects controlled for age and gender.

Somatosensory evoked potential testing in multiple sclerosis.

Evoked potentials can be elicited by electrical stimulation of the median nerve or other locations. Recordings can be made of the electrical signals at the peripheral nerve, plexus, spinal cord, brainstem, and hemispheric levels. When the stimulation and recording techniques are kept constant, the evoked potentials can be used to measure pathophysiological abnormalities in MS and other conditions.

Visual evoked responses in patients with multiple sclerosis.

The visual evoked response (VER) was evaluated in a series of multiple sclerosis patients and normal subjects. The data showed significant delays in wave peak latencies among the patient evoked responses. The prolonged latencies correlated closely with visual impairment; however, even patients with a previous history of visual impairment, but with no deficits noticeable on examination at the time of study, showed a delay in wave peak latencies.