11.4 Cognitive-Communicative Impairments

Question 1

common to all TBI survivors

Answer 1

reduced ability to pursue pre-injury career and lesser activities

Question 2

impairment is usually due to

Answer 2

cognitive impairments - attention, memory, organizing, communication, social skills, pre injury abilities

Question 3

what can help a patient attain pre injury status?

Answer 3

personality
pre injury abilities
severity of TBI
support system

Question 4

with TBI there is a complex constellation of

Answer 4

motor, sensory, psychological, emotional, cognitive and communicative symptoms

Question 5

coma

Answer 5

state of unconsciousness, eyes closed, to does not wake

Question 6

coma is usually due to

Answer 6

brainstem lesions and thalamic lesions

- persistent severe diffuse injury to cortex and subcortical regions

Question 7

persistent vegetative state

Answer 7

can be aroused but don’t have any higher functions; lasted at least a month

Question 8

minimally conscious state

Answer 8

often transitional and reflects improvement in consciousness

Question 9

cognitive impairments can affect

Answer 9

• orientation (frontal lobe)
• attention/concentration
• memory
• executive function
• anosognosia
• behavioral disorders

Question 10

orientation

Answer 10

frontal lobe

• awareness of person, place, time, circumstance, situation
• post traumatic amnesia

Question 11

attention/concentration

Answer 11

• focused att
• sustained att
• selective att
• alternative att
• divided att

Question 12

memory

Answer 12

hippocampal, thalamic, frontal

• requires intact encoding, storage, consolidation, recall
• long term memory
• working mem
• short term mem

Question 13

long term memory is

Answer 13

explicit/declarative memory

implicit/non-declarative

Question 14

working memory

Answer 14

the memory that temporarily holds and manipulates info

Question 15

short term memory

Answer 15

the temporary memory of small amount of information

Question 16

with TBI memory deficits are

Answer 16

common and likely due to different factors

• reduced attn/distractibility
• slower info processing
• reduced organized
• reduced foresight

Question 17

executive functioning

Answer 17

prefrontal cortex and related cortical/subcortical pathways
- planning
- judgement
- decision making
- anticipation
processes also involve memory, planning, flexibility, reasoning, self-monitoring

Question 18

anosognosia

Answer 18

40% of individuals with TBI
more common with cortical s. subcortical
more common with anterior and frontal lesions

Question 19

behavioral disorders

Answer 19

disinhibition
irritability
agression
inappropriate sexual behaviors
anger 
awkwardness
immaturity
depression
egocentrism
social withdrawal