NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL SEQUELAE OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Abstract

Nowadays, the clinical neuropsychologist faces a great number of patients surviving to a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) with neurological sequelae, partially due to the improvement of the therapeutic techniques. TBI neuropsychological impairment is directly related to underlying physiopathological mechanisms and biological and demographic variables. The knowledge of the physiopathology and the execution of neuroimaging studies, which provide structural and functional data, are necessary for the judgment of TBI effects. The prototype to moderate to severe TBI lesion prototype is probably generalized, non-specific damage, but with greater involvement of the frontal and temporal lobe regions. Brain damage is reflected on the impaired neuropsychological functions after a TBI, which are mainly attention, memory, frontal functions, emotion and behaviour.