The relationship of resting cerebral blood flow and brain activation during a social cognition task in adolescents with chronic moderate to severe traumatic brain injury: a preliminary investigation

Alterations in cerebrovascular function are evident acutely in moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), although less is known about their chronic effects. Adolescent and adult patients with moderate to severe TBI have been reported to demonstrate diffuse activation throughout the brain during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Because fMRI is a measure related to blood flow, it is possible that any deficits in blood flow may alter activation. An arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion sequence was performed on seven adolescents with chronic moderate to severe TBI and seven typically developing (TD) adolescents during the same session in which they had performed a social cognition task during fMRI. In the TD group, prefrontal CBF was positively related to prefrontal activation and negatively related to non-prefrontal, posterior, brain activation. This relationship was not seen in the TBI group, who demonstrated a greater positive relationship between prefrontal CBF and non-prefrontal activation than the TD group. An analysis of CBF data independent of fMRI showed reduced CBF in the right non-prefrontal region (p<.055) in the TBI group. To understand any role reduced CBF may play in diffuse extra-activation, we then related the right non-prefrontal CBF to activation. CBF in the right non-prefrontal region in the TD group was positively associated with prefrontal activation, suggesting an interactive role of non-prefrontal and prefrontal blood flow throughout the right hemisphere in healthy brains. However, the TBI group demonstrated a positive association with activation constrained to the right non-prefrontal region. These data suggest a relationship between impaired non-prefrontal CBF and the presence of non-prefrontal extra-activation, where the region with more limited blood flow is associated with activation limited to that region. In a secondary analysis, pathology associated with hyperintensities on T2-weighted FLAIR imaging over the whole brain was related to whole brain activation, revealing a negative relationship between lesion volume and frontal activation, and a positive relationship between lesion volume and posterior activation. These preliminary data, albeit collected with small sample sizes, suggest that reduced non-prefrontal CBF, and possibly pathological tissue associated with T2-hyperintensities, may provide contributions to the diffuse, primarily posterior extra-activation observed in adolescents following moderate to severe TBI.     

Addressing deficits in emotion recognition after severe traumatic brain injury: The role of focused attention and mimicry

Deficits in emotion perception are prevalent in people with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and are an important target for remediation. Preliminary work has indicated that emotion perception can improve with treatment but there is a dearth of studies examining the efficacy of specific techniques. In this study we examined two remediation strategies: (1) focusing attention on relevant aspects of the facial expression, and (2) mimicking the facial expression. Twenty-two people with chronic, severe brain injuries and 32 people matched on basic demographic variables were asked to label six basic emotions spontaneously followed by either a Focus or Mimic instructional strategy. Contrary to expectations, the TBI group was not poorer than the control group in the Spontaneous condition. Consequently, the effects of Focus vs. Mimic were examined for participants who had average scores or less in the Spontaneous condition (n = 14 and 20, respectively). The poorer performing control group was found to benefit from repeated exposure regardless of remediation strategy. The TBI group did not. Over and above repeated exposure, the Focus instruction assisted control participants but lead to poorer performance in those with TBI. The Mimic strategy resulted in little improvement for either group. Those who benefited least from the Focus strategies in the TBI group were those with poor abstract reasoning and flexibility. There was no such association in the control group and no associations between cognitive abilities and changes in scores using the Mimic strategy in either group.     

胰岛素强化治疗重型颅脑损伤合并糖尿病

目的探讨胰岛素强化治疗对重型颅脑损伤(STBI)合并糖尿病患者的临床疗效及预后的影响。方法选择入住重症监护病房(ICU)既往有糖尿病史的重型颅脑损伤患者80例,随机分为治疗组和对照组,每组40例,治疗组给予7 d胰岛素强化治疗,随后给予常规血糖控制,对照组全程常规血糖控制。强化胰岛素治疗组血糖控制目标为4.4~8.3 mmol/L,常规血糖控制目标为4.4~11.1 mmol/L。结果伤后随访6月按(GOS)评分评价疗效,治疗组恢复良好率较对照组组提高15%,死亡率下降17%(P0.05),ICU住院时间、机械通气时间、院内感染发生率均低于对照组(P0.05)。结论短期胰岛素强化治疗能有效改善重型颅脑损伤合并糖尿病患者的预后,降低ICU内并发症的发生率。     

Development of a novel task for investigating decision making in a social context following traumatic brain injury

Objective: Examination of social cognition as a target for assessment and intervention is beginning to gain momentum in a number of illnesses and acquired disorders. One facet of social cognition is decision making within interpersonal situations. This skill forms an important part of our everyday lives and is commonly impaired in those with neurological and mental health conditions. A novel task was developed to allow the assessment of decision making specifically within a social context and was examined within a group known to experience this difficulty. Method: Participants with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) were compared to healthy control participants on the Social Decision Making Task (SDMT), which required the participant to learn who the “friendly” players were in a game of toss. Participants also completed a nonsocial decision-making task, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) as well as a battery of neuropsychological tests and social cognition tasks. Current social functioning was also examined. Results: Consistent with predictions, the TBI group made poorer decisions on the SDMT than the control group; however, group differences were not evident on the IGT. No significant relationships were observed between the SDMT and either measures of executive functioning (including working memory and reversal learning) or social cognition (including emotion recognition and theory of mind). Performance on the SDMT and the IGT were not associated, suggesting that the two tasks measure different constructs. Conclusions: The SDMT offers a novel way of examining decision making within a social context following TBI and may also be useful in other populations known to have specific social cognition impairment. Future research should aim to provide further clarification of the mechanisms of action and neuroanatomical correlates of poor performance on this task.     

Rehabilitation and follow-up of children with severe traumatic brain injury

We studied the outcome of 25 patients [12 girls and 13 boys; mean age 13.7 (SD 3.9 years)] with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score 6 h after the injury was (mean) 4.5 (SD 2.7), and the mean duration of unconsciousness was 15.8 (SD 10.6) days. Being the most severely brain-injured children in the health care region, they were all referred to its only regional pediatric rehabilitation center during 1986–1990. At discharge, 1 patient was healthy, 1 was in a vegetative state and 18 had multiple impairments. Motor problems were present in 22, epilepsy in 7 and speech impairment in 14. It was not possible to assess cognition in 3 of the children, and 15 of the remaining 22 fell in the normal range. At follow up 2–6 years after trauma, all 23 survivors reported at least one sequela, and 21 had multiple sequelae. As many as two-thirds had normal I.Q. and only 3 were non-ambulatory, but behavioral and personality disturbances were so disabling that none of the patients in this group had been able to readjust to a normal life in society after the trauma.     

Neuronal injury and loss after traumatic brain injury: time course and regional variability

We have examined regional neuronal injury after traumatic brain injury using Fluoro-Jade, an acidic dye that exhibits a marked affinity for both the degenerating neuronal cell body and its processes and have determined the extent to which early injury corresponds to regional patterns of neuronal loss. Rats (n=45) were subjected to lateral fluid percussion brain injury and euthanized at 3 h to 28 days post injury. Complementary Fluoro-Jade, silver impregnation methods and TUNEL were used to assess neuronal injury. Neuronal loss was evaluated in sections immunostained for NeuN, a neuronal specific nuclear protein. Overt neuronal cell loss was evident by 7 days post injury in the cortex, hippocampus and thalamus. Injured neurons were apparent in the ipsilateral cortex bordering the impact site, hippocampus (CA1 and dentate), thalamus, and vermis of the cerebellum as early as 3 h post injury. Degenerating neurons were maximal by 1 and 3 days in the cortex and hippocampus, by 3 and 7 days in the cerebellum, and by 7 days in the thalamus. The regional distribution of Fluoro-Jade-labeled neurons corresponded to a similar pattern of silver and TUNEL staining. Together, these findings demonstrate a regionally specific temporal pattern of neuronal injury that results in overt neuronal cell loss within both cortical and subcortical regions.     

The contribution of social cognition in predicting social participation following moderate and severe TBI in youth

ABSTRACT

Youth with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at risk for reduced social participation after the injury, and the contribution of social cognition to these changes in functioning has been little studied. This study aimed to examine social participation and to measure the contribution of social and non-social cognitive functions to social participation impairment in youth (ages 12–21) who sustained moderate or severe TBI. Youth with TBI (n?=?23) were compared to typically developing (TD) controls on self- and parent-rated social participation questionnaires. Direct testing of social cognition (mentalising, social knowledge, emotion recognition) and higher order cognitive abilities (intellectual abilities, attention and executive functions) was also conducted. Significant differences were found between the TBI participants and TD controls on social participation measures. Mentalising and problem-solving abilities revealed to be significant correlates of social participation as reported by youth with brain-injury and their parents. Overall, these results corroborate previous findings by showing that social participation is significantly reduced after TBI, and further shows that mentalising, which is not always considered during rehabilitation, is an important contributing factor. In addition to executive function measures, social cognition should therefore be systematically included in assessment following youth TBI for intervention and prevention purposes.     

Delivering group treatment via videoconference to individuals with traumatic brain injury: A feasibility study

The objective was to assess the feasibility of delivering a group treatment to improve emotional regulation via videoconferencing to individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). A pre–post feasibility study was undertaken. Seven individuals with TBI were recruited at a brain injury research centre in an urban medical centre. The main measures were therapist assessment of session-by-session progress and feasibility, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust Regulation of Emotions Questionnaire (BREQ), Satisfaction with Therapy and Therapist Scale (STTS), and exit interview. Attendance across sessions and participants was over 90%. Adequate skill acquisition and ease of use of the technology were demonstrated. Self-reported satisfaction with treatment was high. Participants noted several benefits in terms of the treatment delivery modality. There was no change is self-reported emotional dysregulation. This is the first study to report the use of videoconferencing for the delivery of group treatment to individuals with TBI. The exceptional compliance and self-reported satisfaction suggest that this treatment delivery option could be a viable alternative for increasing access to healthcare in this population. The findings of the study supported the development of a large clinical trial to assess treatment effectiveness.     

标准外伤大骨瓣开颅术在重型颅脑损伤中的应用

目的探讨标准外伤大骨瓣开颅减压术治疗重型颅脑损伤的效果。方法63例重型颅脑损伤患者随机分为2组:标准外伤大骨瓣组(治疗组)32例,常规骨瓣组(对照组)31例。全部病例术前均扫描证实颅内损伤情况,术后治疗方案基本相同。术后6个月临床随访进行格拉斯哥预后标准(GOS)评定。结果治疗组32例中,恢复良好15例,中残6例,重残2例,植物生存1例,死亡8例。对照组31例中,恢复良好7例,中残5例,重残2例,植物生存2例,死亡15例(P<0.05)。结论标准外伤大骨瓣开颅减压术治疗急性单侧幕上血肿、脑挫裂伤及单侧大脑半球肿胀有较确切疗效。     

Predicting long-term cognitive and neuropathological consequences of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury: Review and theoretical framework

Prognostic modeling in moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) has historically focused primarily on the projection of crude outcomes such as the risk of mortality and disability. Initial work in this area has perpetuated the notion that prognosis after moderate to severe TBI can be measured as a single, static, and dichotomous outcome. However, more recent conceptualizations describe moderate to severe TBI as the initiation of a chronic disease state with high levels of inter-individual variability in terms of symptom manifestation and disease progression. Unfortunately, existing prognostic models provide limited insight into the extent of chronic cognitive and neurodegenerative changes experienced by moderate to severe TBI survivors. Though prior research has identified a variety of acute factors that appear to influence post-injury cognitive and neuropathological outcomes, an empirically supported framework for prognostic modeling of these injury-distal outcomes does not exist. The current review considers the literature on an expanded array of empirically supported predictors (both premorbid and injury-related) in association with long-term sequelae of moderate to severe TBI. We also provide a theoretical framework and statistical approach for prognostic modeling in moderate to severe TBI in order to unify efforts across research groups and facilitate important progress in this research area.     

血栓弹力图在重型颅脑损伤患者围手术期的应用

目的 探讨血栓弹力图（TEG）在重型颅脑损伤患者围手术期的应用价值。方法 2014年10月1日~2015年8月1日急诊开颅血肿清除术治疗重症颅脑损伤患者78例,根据围手术期凝血功能监测方法分为TEG组（n=39）和经验治疗组（n=39）。TEG组测量反应时间（R值）、凝血形成时间（K值）、血栓最大幅度（Ma值）和凝固角（α值）等项参数,根据测量结果输注血液制品。经验治疗组则根据出血量及血气分析结果,按照经验疗法进行围手术期管理。结果 两组患者的手术时间无显著差异（P>0.05）;TEG组的出血量以及红细胞、新鲜冰冻血浆、冷沉淀、血小板输注量均较经验治疗组明显减少（P<0.01）;术后6、24 h引流量,teg组较经验治疗组均显著下降（P<0.01）;两组二次开颅手术率和30 d死亡率无明显差异（P>0.05）。结论 TEG可监测凝血功能,指导输血,减少血液制品输注量,减少术后颅内出血发生几率,在重型颅脑损伤患者围手术期具有重要的意义。     

亚低温对重型颅脑创伤合并急性创伤性凝血病影响的临床研究

目的 研究亚低温对重型颅脑创伤(sTBI)合并急性创伤性凝血病(ATC)患者的影响及其临床意义.方法 83例sTBI合并AT℃患者随机分为亚低温治疗组42例、常规治疗组(对照组)41例.亚低温治疗组均于伤后24h内接受亚低温治疗.分别测量两组患者不同时间点的凝血酶原时间(PT)、部分凝血酶原时间(APTT)、凝血时间(TT)、纤维蛋白原(FIB)及D-二聚体水平,同时监测患者颅内压(ICP)以及生命体征、血气、血电解质及动脉血氧饱和度等,并根据GOS评估法判断预后.结果 亚低温治疗组患者PT、APTT、TT、FIB及D-二聚体与对照组相比差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05),而颅内压明显降低(P＜0.01);生命体征、血气、血电解质、动脉血氧饱和度差异无统计学意义,无严重并发症,病死率低,预后改善明显.结论 亚低温治疗不会增加sTBI合并ATC患者出现凝血障碍及纤溶亢进的风险,并且能有效地降低颅内压,具有肯定的脑保护作用,是一项安全有效的治疗措施.     

脑创伤后长期意识障碍患者脑干听觉诱发电位表现与预后清醒的关系

目的 探讨重型创伤性颅脑损伤(TBI)后长期意识障碍患者脑干听觉诱发电位(BAEP)表现与预后清醒的关系.方法 分析63例重型TBI后意识障碍超过2周患者的BAEP表现,主要为BAEP中Ⅰ、Ⅲ、Ⅴ波各波峰潜伏期(PL),Ⅰ～Ⅲ、Ⅲ～Ⅴ波峰间潜伏期(IPL)及Ⅰ波与Ⅴ波波幅比.预后以TBI后6个月患者是否清醒为标准,分为清醒组与未清醒组,组间运用两独立样本t检验以筛选出有意义的指标.结果 本组患者清醒率为34.9%(22/63),BAEP指标异常率为66.7%(42/63).双侧Ⅰ、Ⅲ、Ⅴ波PL,Ⅰ～Ⅲ波、Ⅲ～Ⅴ波IPL及Ⅰ/Ⅴ波幅比均正常的21例中有16例清醒(清醒率为76.2%),双侧Ⅴ波PL异常的8例及双侧Ⅲ～Ⅴ波IPL异常的7例均未清醒,单侧Ⅴ波消失的2例未清醒.清醒组与未清醒组间比较发现双侧差异均有统计学意义的指标为Ⅴ波PL及Ⅲ～Ⅴ波IPL.结论 BAEP的Ⅴ波PL及Ⅲ～Ⅴ波IPL变化可客观、准确地反映脑损伤的程度及预测患者的预后.

Abstract：

Objective To explore the correlation between brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) findings and outcome in long-term unconscious patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).Methods BAEP findings were recorded and analyzed in 63 patients suffering from severe TBI with duration of disturbance of unconsciousness for more than 2 weeks. The peak latency (PL) of wave Ⅰ, Ⅲ and Ⅴ, the interpeak latency (IPL) of wave Ⅰ-Ⅲ and Ⅲ-Ⅴ and the amplitude ratio of wave Ⅰ and Ⅴ were analyzed. Conscious or unconscious at 6 months after the injury was considered as the outcome criterion,and based on these, the patients were divided into conscious and unconscious groups; the significant indicators were chosen in the 2 groups using independent-sample t test. Results The probabilities of awakening in these patients were 34.9% (22/63) with abnormal index of BAEP indicators reaching 66.7%. Sixteen patients were sober at last in 21 patients with normal PL of wave Ⅰ, Ⅲ and Ⅴ, IPL of wave Ⅰ-Ⅲ and Ⅲ-Ⅴ, and amplitude ratio of wave Ⅰ and Ⅴ in bilateral side (the probabilities of awakening were 76.2%); 8 patients having abnormal PL of wave Ⅴ in bilateral side and 7 having abnormal IPL of wave Ⅲ-Ⅴ in bilateral side were unconscious; 2 patients having disappeared wave Ⅴ in unilateral side were unconscious. PL of wave Ⅴ and IPL of wave Ⅲ-Ⅴ in bilateral side were significantly different between the conscious group and the unconscious group. (P＜0.05). Conclusion BAEP findings (PL of wave Ⅴ and IPL of wave Ⅲ-Ⅴ in bilateral side) can objectively and accurately demonstrate the cerebral dysfunction and predict the outcome of the patients.     

轻度低温联合依达拉奉治疗提高重型颅脑损伤疗效

目的 探讨轻度低温联合依达拉奉治疗急性重型颅脑损伤的疗效. 方法 选取自2008年2月至2012年9月在深圳市龙岗中心医院急诊入院的重型颅脑损伤患者共143例,按随机数字表法分为4组:对照组(A组,n=35),给予常规治疗;轻度低温治疗组(B组,n=36),给予常规治疗加轻度低温(33～34℃)治疗,持续时间2～14d;依达拉奉治疗组(C组,n=36),给予常规治疗加依达拉奉30 mg/次,2次/d,连用14d;轻度低温联合依达拉奉治疗组(D组,n=36),给予常规治疗加轻度低温和依达拉奉联合治疗.记录4组患者入院时、入院后24 h、72 h颅内压(ICP)及检测血糖值.治疗后3个月应用格拉斯哥预后评分(GOS)评价疗效. 结果 入院后24 h、72 h时B组、C组平均ICP、血糖值均明显低于A组,D组均明显低于B组、C组,差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.05).D组疗效良好(GOS评分4～5分)率明显优于B组、C组及A组,差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.05). 结论 早期应用轻度低温与依达拉奉联合治疗急性重型颅脑损伤患者的疗效显著优于单纯应用轻度低温或依达拉奉治疗.     

重型颅脑创伤患者血清COR、ACTH及血糖的变化

目的评估重型颅脑创伤患者伤后不同时期的血清皮质醇(COR)、促肾上腺皮质激素(ACTH)及血糖水平的变化,及其在伤情判断与预后中的作用。方法前瞻性选择重型颅脑创伤患者56例,正常对照组23例,重型颅脑创伤患者按入院时GCS评分分为重型组(6～8分)、特重型组(3～5分)两个亚组,治疗4个月后对比预后评分(GOS评分),测定不同时期血清COR、ACTH及血糖浓度。结果 GCS 3～5分与6～8分组血清COR、ACTH及血糖浓度入院后5 d内均显著增高,与对照组比较差异有显著性(P<0.01),GCS 3～5分组血清COR、ACTH、血糖浓度高于GCS 6～8分组(P<0.05)。GCS 3～5分组死亡率明显高于6～8分组,颅脑损伤组第1 d血清COR、ACTH、血糖浓度均显著高于对照组(P<0.01)。结论重型颅脑创伤患者伤后血清COR、ACTH及血糖均有不同程度的增高,监测血清COR、ACTH及血糖浓度可作为判断患者病情轻重、治疗效果和预后的一项重要指标。     

Quality-of-life: Child and parent perspectives following severe traumatic brain injury

Purpose: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can produce temporary or permanent impairment. Quality-of-life (QoL) after TBI has been well studied in adults, but less so in children. The aim of this study was to assess the QoL of children with TBI and compare the findings with the evaluations of parents and children without brain injury.

Methods: Participants were 23 children with TBI, mean age 11 years, who had been treated at the SARAH Network of Rehabilitation Hospitals. Participants were matched by age, sex, parents’ socio-cultural level and place of residence with 23 other children who had no history of brain injury. The instruments used were the SARAH QoL Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, the SARAH Physical-Functional Classification of the Child and Adolescent and a structured interview with parents.

Results: The results demonstrated that, in an average 4 years after the accident, all of the children with TBI were attending school and most could walk independently. The parents’ reports about post-TBI problems were marginally associated with the children's self-evaluations. The parents showed important concerns regarding their child across all dimensions of life.

Conclusions: Children with TBI report significantly reduced QoL compared to a control group in the physical, psychological, cognitive and total score dimensions. However, TBI children with average academic performance (65%) obtained the same QoL scores as the control group.     

Social communication mediates the relationship between emotion perception and externalizing behaviors in young adult survivors of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common cause of childhood disability, and is associated with elevated risk for long-term social impairment. Though social (pragmatic) communication deficits may be among the most debilitating consequences of childhood TBI, few studies have examined very long-term communication outcomes as children with TBI make the transition to young adulthood. In addition, the extent to which reduced social function contributes to externalizing behaviors in survivors of childhood TBI remains poorly understood. The present study aimed to evaluate the extent of social communication difficulty among young adult survivors of childhood TBI (n = 34, injury age: 1.0–7.0 years; M time since injury: 16.55 years) and examine relations among aspects of social function including emotion perception, social communication and externalizing behaviors rated by close-other proxies. Compared to controls the TBI group had significantly greater social communication difficulty, which was associated with more frequent externalizing behaviors and poorer emotion perception. Analyses demonstrated that reduced social communication mediated the association between poorer emotion perception and more frequent externalizing behaviors. Our findings indicate that socio-cognitive impairments may indirectly increase the risk for externalizing behaviors among young adult survivors of childhood TBI, and underscore the need for targeted social skills interventions delivered soon after injury, and into the very long-term.     

Recall of emotional and neutral words and paragraphs in traumatic brain injury

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in verbal recall deficits and impaired processing of emotion encoded in facial appearance, prosody and the linguistic content of messages. Emotion facilitates memory (emotional memory advantage) for non-brain injured (NBI) individuals but the impact of emotion on verbal recall for linguistically encoded stimuli in TBI has not been explored.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of stimulus emotional content on verbal recall of words and paragraphs in TBI compared to NBI individuals.

Methods and procedures: Six 10-item lists, each with five emotional and five neutral words, and six paragraphs (three emotional, three neutral) were counterbalanced and presented in random order to 20 individuals with TBI and 44 NBI. The number of words from lists and the number of content units from paragraphs were compared for the two groups.

Outcomes and results: The NBI participants recalled more words from the lists and content units from the paragraphs than the individuals with TBI. Both groups recalled significantly more emotional than neutral words. NBI but not TBI participants had significantly greater recall for information in paragraphs with emotional content.

Conclusions: Participants with TBI showed impaired recall of words and paragraph content. Emotion facilitated word and paragraph content recall for neurotypical individuals but emotional memory advantage was limited to words for the TBI participants.     

Neurobehavioural treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder in an adult with traumatic brain injury

Although obsessive-compulsive disorder has been reported as one of many anxiety-related sequelae of brain injury, few empirical data of its responsiveness to psychological intervention are available. In this study, a single participant changing criterion experimental design was used to evaluate a neurobehavioural intervention for compulsive behaviour of an adult with severe traumatic brain injury. The participant, a man aged 24 years, had sustained frontal-temporal lobe brain trauma 12 months earlier, and presented with compulsive counting and voiding of bladder. The neurobehavioural intervention consisted of regular in-home consultations, self-regulation procedures including self-recording of compulsive behaviour, stress-coping strategies, errorless remediation, social reinforcement, and gradual fading of intervention. Baseline showed counting occurred on average 80% of daily hourly intervals, and voiding 12 times per day. Intervention produced elimination of compulsive counting, acceptable voiding at 8 times per day, and reports of the participant's satisfaction with intervention methods and outcomes. At 6 months follow-up, counting remained at zero levels, and voiding had decreased further to 7 times per day.     

Impact of traumatic brain injury on social cognition in adolescents and contribution of other higher order cognitive functions

Social cognition impairments can contribute to social participation difficulties following traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, little attention has been given to these impairments during adolescence, a period of life when peer relationships are central. The aim of the current study was to examine the impact of a moderate to severe TBI sustained in adolescence on multiple facets of social cognition. Twenty-three adolescents who had sustained a moderate-to-severe TBI were compared with a group of 23 typically developing peers. The Integrated Social Cognition Battery (mentalising, social knowledge, emotion recognition) and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index were administered, along with non-social cognition tests (selective attention, working memory, executive functions), IQ estimation, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Adolescents with TBI reported having a significantly lower ability to take other people's perspectives versus controls. They also presented significantly lower levels of mentalising. After controlling for non-social higher-order cognitive variables, the group effect on mentalising remained marginally significant, whereas the effect on perspective taking remained significant. Our findings suggest the presence of primary deficits in social cognition following TBI in adolescence. These deficits could partially underlie the social reintegration difficulties encountered following TBI. A systematic assessment of social cognition in clinical practice is necessary.