AUTHOR=Albrecht Matthew A. , Masters Colin L. , Ames David , Foster Jonathan K. ,  The AIBL Research Group 

TITLE=Impact of Mild Head Injury on Neuropsychological Performance in Healthy Older Adults: Longitudinal Assessment in the AIBL Cohort

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2016

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2016.00105

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2016.00105

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=Traumatic brain injury is suggested to be a significant risk factor for dementia. However, little research has been conducted on long-term neuropsychological outcomes after head trauma. Participants from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle Study of Ageing (AIBL) who had recovered after sustaining a mild traumatic brain injury involving loss of consciousness more than five years prior were compared with matched controls across a 3-year period. Bayesian nested-domain modelling was used to estimate the effect of traumatic brain injury on neuropsychological performance. There was no evidence for a chronic effect of mild traumatic brain injury on any neuropsychological domain compared to controls. These findings indicate that individuals who have sustained a traumatic brain injury resulting in loss of consciousness, but who recover to a healthy level of cognitive functioning, do not experience frank deficits in cognitive ability.