TY - JOUR
T1 - Variables associated with subjective cognitive change among Iraq and Afghanistan war Veterans with blast-related mild traumatic brain injury
AU - Karr, Justin E.
AU - Rau, Holly K.
AU - Shofer, Jane B.
AU - Hendrickson, Rebecca C.
AU - Peskind, Elaine R.
AU - Pagulayan, Kathleen F.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2019/8/9
Y1 - 2019/8/9
N2 - Introduction: This study investigated variables associated with subjective decline in executive function among Veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) following a history of blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Method: Fifty-six male U.S. Veterans (MAge = 35.3 ± 8.8 years) with a history of blast-related mTBI (6.6 ± 3.2 years post injury) completed a battery of self-report questionnaires and neuropsychological measures. Participants rated current and retrospectively estimated pre-mTBI executive function difficulties on the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe). A difference score (post- minus pre-mTBI ratings) was the dependent variable (∆FrSBe). Linear regression models examined variables predicting ∆FrSBe, including: pre-injury characteristics (education, premorbid intelligence), injury-related characteristics (number of blast exposures, losses of consciousness), post-injury clinical symptoms (PTSD Checklist–Military version; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and post-injury neuropsychological performances on executive function measures (Trail Making Test Part B; Controlled Oral Word Association Test; Auditory Consonant Trigrams; Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). Results: While 11% of participants had a clinically elevated pre-injury FrSBe total score, 82% had a clinically elevated post-injury FrSBe total score. Only self-reported PTSD symptom severity independently predicted perceived change in executive function. Conclusions: Many OEF/OIF/OND Veterans with a history of blast-related mTBI experience subjective decline in executive function following injury. Perceived executive function decline was associated with higher PTSD symptom severity, aligning with previous research associating PTSD with cognitive complaints. Results did not support a correspondence between perceived cognitive change and neuropsychological performances.
AB - Introduction: This study investigated variables associated with subjective decline in executive function among Veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) following a history of blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Method: Fifty-six male U.S. Veterans (MAge = 35.3 ± 8.8 years) with a history of blast-related mTBI (6.6 ± 3.2 years post injury) completed a battery of self-report questionnaires and neuropsychological measures. Participants rated current and retrospectively estimated pre-mTBI executive function difficulties on the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe). A difference score (post- minus pre-mTBI ratings) was the dependent variable (∆FrSBe). Linear regression models examined variables predicting ∆FrSBe, including: pre-injury characteristics (education, premorbid intelligence), injury-related characteristics (number of blast exposures, losses of consciousness), post-injury clinical symptoms (PTSD Checklist–Military version; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and post-injury neuropsychological performances on executive function measures (Trail Making Test Part B; Controlled Oral Word Association Test; Auditory Consonant Trigrams; Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). Results: While 11% of participants had a clinically elevated pre-injury FrSBe total score, 82% had a clinically elevated post-injury FrSBe total score. Only self-reported PTSD symptom severity independently predicted perceived change in executive function. Conclusions: Many OEF/OIF/OND Veterans with a history of blast-related mTBI experience subjective decline in executive function following injury. Perceived executive function decline was associated with higher PTSD symptom severity, aligning with previous research associating PTSD with cognitive complaints. Results did not support a correspondence between perceived cognitive change and neuropsychological performances.
KW - Brain concussion
KW - blast injury
KW - executive function
KW - mild traumatic brain injury
KW - veteran
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U2 - 10.1080/13803395.2019.1611740
DO - 10.1080/13803395.2019.1611740
M3 - Article
C2 - 31106695
AN - SCOPUS:85066104969
SN - 1380-3395
VL - 41
SP - 680
EP - 693
JO - Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology
JF - Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology
IS - 7
ER -