NeurologyToday reports on a new study published in Neurology finding poor one-year cognitive outcome is common and documented in 13.5 percent of patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) presenting to trauma centers in the United States, and highlights the importance of following up with longitudinal cognitive assessments to classify cognitive outcomes more accurately after mTBI and to determine the best interventions for promoting a smoother recovery.

HSS neurologist Teena Shetty, MD, who was not involved in study, said she was intrigued by the study's examination of unexplored territory.

She explained, “Specifically, cognitive outcome is not routinely evaluated in the context of long-term prognosis. I think it is something that is important to understand better. Many mTBI patients complain of unique, subtle cognitive difficulties with attention, comprehension, word finding difficulties, and working memory problems.”

She noted that disparities may contribute to poorer outcomes. “The findings are quite striking and one important implication is that recovery from mTBI may need to be redefined or looked at more comprehensively,” said Dr. Shetty. Furthermore, “it was notable that a number of patients with poor cognitive outcomes not only had lower socioeconomic status but also had co-morbid depression.”

She cited that a potential limitation of the study—and one that the authors acknowledge—is the lack of expert consensus on the clear definition of poorer one-year cognitive outcomes after mTBI.

Read the full article at Journals.lww.com.