Neurobehavioral effects following geriatric head injury

This study compared the acute neuropsychological effects of a mild head injury in a geriatric population and a young adult population. Forty-one young adult individuals (mean age = 23.6 years, s.d. = 3.1) and 29 geriatric individuals (mean age = 67.1 years, s.d. = 4.4) were evaluated using a standard neuropsychological trauma battery at Allegheny General Hospital following admission to the trauma unit. This study also examined the reliability and utility of specific neuropsychological measures in differentiating between individuals who were diagnosed with a head injury and those who were not. In addition to the aforementioned groups, the neuropsychological battery was administered to 10 non-head injured young adult trauma patients (mean age = 25.1, s.d. = 3.84) and 15 non-head injured geriatric trauma patients (mean age = 68.7, s.d. = 6.84). Results of the study indicated significant differences on memory, attention/concentration, and executive functioning for age. However, no significant differences were found on these measures for head injured vs. non-head injured, and no interaction between age and head injury was found. These findings were further supported by the results of the analyses using age appropriate norms, in which no significant differences were found for these groups on measures of memory and attention/concentration.;The findings of this study suggest that premorbidly healthy geriatric populations suffer similar neuropsychological effects following a mild head injury as a young adult population. This study also raises the possibility that the assessment and diagnostic procedures of individuals who are admitted to a hospital following a fall or motor vehicle accident may need to be refined. The lack of significant differences between head injured and non-head injured individuals raises the possibility that factors such as diagnostic criteria, referral procedures, and psychological or physical distress affected neuropsychological test performance.