Family personality change following TBI

Abstracts of 16th Annual Meeting 343 Furthermore, they have a high level of introversiveness which later dissipates. Both CVA groups report greater fatigue, affability, and the absence of hostility. It is believed that these findings have direct meaning for treatment planning, family education, and discharge planning. It is also recommended that caution be used for the uncritical acceptance of traditional views of syndrome characteristics. Johnson, D. J., & Hartlage, L. C. Kaltreider, L. B., Cicerello, A. R., Lacritz, L. H., Weiner, M., Honig, L., Rosenberg, R. N., & Cullum, M. The CERAD and the CVLT." A Comparison of Verbal Learning Measures in Al:heimer's Disease. This study examined the relationship between measures that allow for a quantification of various aspects of learning and memory that are commonly used in the assessment of dementia. Specifically, performance on the 10-item word list from the CERAD neuropsychological battery was compared to that of the 16-item California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) in a sample of 44 subjects with Probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) who had a mean MMSE score of 19.5 (SD = 4.2). Results revealed significant relationships between the two measures on several key variables. With regard to learning, the total number of words remembered across trials was significantly correlated between tasks (r = .74, p < .001 ), while there was no significant relationship between indices of short delayed free recall (r = .08, p = .60). Of the recognition variables, both the number of true positive responses (r = .64, p < .001) and the number of false positive errors (r = .32, p = .03) were significantly related. Likewise, indices of discriminability showed a significant correlation (r = .50, p = .001 ). In addition, a significant relationship in terms of the number of intrusion errors was found (r = .57, p < .001). Results suggest similarities between measures in regard to learning capacity, recognition memory performance, and error types (i.e., intrusions and false positives), while differences were observed for retention of information after a delay. The lack of relationship between some indices may be attributable to differences in list length, in addition to factors such as presentation style, numbers of trials, and type of interference task. Overall, the relationships observed between the CERAD list and CVLT provide preliminary support for the utility of a shorter list-learning task among mildly to moderately demented patients with AD in assessing general verbal learning ability and aspects of memory function. However, given the modest magnitude of some of the correlational results, it should be kept in mind that brief tasks may not be as sensitive to the extent and pattern of memory dysfunction in AD which is better identified using more comprehensive tests of verbal memory. Family Personality Change Following TBI. Behavioral and neurocognitive changes are well documented with post-concussive head trauma. But it is the belief that TBI does not just affect only the patient within the family. Rather, it is believed that both patient and family experience behavioral changes following trauma. This project studied 13 (4 male, 9 female) post-concussive patients (approximately 5 months postinjury) and their immediate family (spouses, parents) for behavioral changes following injury. Behavioral sequelae were measured with the Behavior Change Inventory, a scale measuring behavioral status before vs. subsequent to central nervous system insult. Findings supported the belief that families also experience behavioral change following patient injury. The most compelling changes found indicated that as patient depression, agitation, apprehension and fatigue increased, so did family increases in similar proportion. Trends for decreased emotional control in patients was not seen in family members. These findings support the need for the assessment of family psychosocial functioning, family education, and family intervention for specific TBl-related problems.  (...truncated)