Short-Term Neuropsychological Outcome Following Uncomplicated Mild TBI: Effects of Day-of-Injury Intoxication and Pre-Injury Alcohol Abuse

• Published in: Neuropsychology 2007-09, Vol.21 (5), p.590-598
• Main Authors: Lange, Rael T, Iverson, Grant L, Franzen, Michael D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Alcohol Abuse; Alcohol Intoxication; Alcoholic Intoxication - complications; Alcoholic Intoxication - epidemiology; Alcoholism - complications; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Injuries - complications; Brain Injuries - epidemiology; Cognition Disorders - epidemiology; Cognition Disorders - etiology; Databases, Factual; Female; Human; Humans; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Neuropsychology; Onset (Disorders); Organic mental disorders. Neuropsychology; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Retrospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Traumatic Brain Injury
• ISSN: 0894-4105; 1931-1559
• DOI: 10.1037/0894-4105.21.5.590

Research suggests that individuals who are intoxicated at the time of traumatic brain injury (TBI) have worse cognitive outcome compared with those who are sober. Worse outcome in patients with day-of-injury intoxication might (a) be related to the increased magnitude of brain injury resulting from a variety of negative responses not present following TBI in nonintoxicated individuals, or (b) reflect the effect of pre-injury alcohol abuse that is prevalent in individuals intoxicated at the time of injury. Most studies in this area have focused on patients with moderate to severe TBIs, and on medium- to long-term neuropsychological outcome. The purpose of this study was to examine the relative contributions of day-of-injury intoxication versus pre-injury alcohol abuse on short-term cognitive recovery following mild TBI. Participants were 169 patients with uncomplicated mild TBIs who were assessed on 13 cognitive measures within 7 days postinjury. The prevalence of intoxication at the time of injury was 54.4%. The prevalence of possible pre-injury alcohol abuse was 46.2%. Overall, the results suggest that pre-injury alcohol abuse, compared with day-of-injury alcohol intoxication, had the most influence on short-term neuropsychological outcome from uncomplicated mild TBI. However, the influence of pre-injury alcohol abuse was considered small at best.