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Verbal Learning Strategy Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 May 2011

Elizabeth K. Geary ,
Marilyn F. Kraus ,
Leah H. Rubin ,
Neil H. Pliskin  and
Deborah M. Little
Elizabeth K. Geary
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois Center for Stroke Research, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
Marilyn F. Kraus
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois Center for Cognitive Medicine, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
Leah H. Rubin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois Center for Cognitive Medicine, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
Neil H. Pliskin
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois Center for Cognitive Medicine, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
Deborah M. Little*
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois Center for Stroke Research, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois Department of Anatomy, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois Department of Psychology, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Deborah M. Little, Department of Neurology, MC 796, 912 South Wood Street 855 N., Chicago, IL 60612. E-mail: deborahmlittle@gmail.com
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Abstract

That learning and memory deficits persist many years following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is controversial due to inconsistent objective evidence supporting subjective complaints. Our prior work demonstrated significant reductions in performance on the initial trial of a verbal learning task and overall slower rate of learning in well-motivated mTBI participants relative to demographically matched controls. In our previous work, we speculated that differences in strategy use could explain the differences in rate of learning. The current study serves to test this hypothesis by examining strategy use on the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition. Our present findings support the primary hypothesis that mTBI participants under-utilize semantic clustering strategies during list-learning relative to control participants. Despite achieving comparable total learning scores, we posit that the persisting learning and memory difficulties reported by some mTBI patients may be related to reduced usage of efficient internally driven strategies that facilitate learning. Given that strategy training has demonstrated improvements in learning and memory in educational and occupational settings, we offer that these findings have translational value in offering an additional approach in remediation of learning and memory complaints reported by some following mTBI. (JINS, 2011, 17, 709–719)

Keywords

Post-concussive syndromeConcussionSemanticCognitionExecutive functionsBrain/behavior relationships
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 17 , Issue 4 , 21 June 2011 , pp. 709 - 719
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2011

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