Search

Background Patient Competency Rating Scale (PCRS-R-BR) is a clinical tool to evaluate the degree of competence in cognitive skills perceived by patients with brain injuries. However, no studies have investigated the influence of sociodemographic variables on self-report and self-awareness of healthy individuals. Aim This study aimed to (1) present normative data from the PCRS-R-BR in a healthy adult Brazilian sample; and (2) investigate psychometric properties of the scale Method One hundred and fifty-four adults that were divided in three age groups and two education groups and their informants completed the PCRS-R-BR. Results Score on the PCRS-R-BR Patient's Form differed as a function of age with younger adults reporting less competency than older individuals. An education effect was found on Attention/Working memory Factor on the Informant's PCRS-R-BR with informants of higher education adults reporting better competency than lower education individuals. A gender effect was observed on the Informant's Form. The Informant's Form scores of informants of women were higher than the scores provided by the informants of men. PCRS-R-BR showed adequate consistency coefficients and six factors. Conclusion PCRS-R-BR scores showed acceptable validity evidence and provides information regarding how age and gender effects may influence ratings in a Brazilian sample.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of executive functions (EF) components and episodic and working memory variables, as well as clinical and demographic factors, to awareness of cognitive ability in traumatic brain injury (TBI)., Methods: Sixty-five TBI patients (mild: n = 26; moderate/severe: n = 39) took part in the study. Independent stepwise regression models were calculated for EF and memory predictors, with awareness being measured by patient/informant discrepancy in the Patient Competency Rating Scale., Results: Models with EF variables indicated that semantic verbal fluency and age are the best predictors of awareness, whereas models including mnemonic functions suggested verbal delayed episodic recall and TBI severity as predictors., Conclusions: These results are discussed in relation to clinical implications, such as the need to focus efforts of rehabilitation in the cognitive abilities related to awareness, and theoretical models.

Primary Objective: This study aimed to identify and characterize profiles of executive functions (EF) following traumatic brain injury (TBI)., Research Design: The sample was comprised of 84 adult outpatients with mild and moderate/severe TBI who were assessed by means of a battery of EF tasks. A Hierarchical Cluster analysis was performed with tasks Z-scores. Clusters were compared by means of ANOVA and Chi-square analyses., Main Outcomes and Results: Three clusters were characterized by deficits in: (1) inhibition, flexibility and focused attention; (2) inhibition, flexibility, working memory and focused attention; and (3) no expressive executive deficits. Clusters did not differ in clinical or demographical variables., Conclusions: The first cluster replicated findings of previous studies on TBI EF profiles. IT is suggested that TBI rehabilitation studies of EF must select participants by their EF profile rather than for clinical or demographical variables.

Summary: The aim of the present study was to use the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) to investigate differences in decision-making (DM) between patients who sustained TBI and healthy subjects, while controlling for age, education and gender., Methods: A hundred and ten participants, half of whom had severe or mild TBI, completed the IGT., Results: Differences between control participants and patients with TBI were found regarding total net score, block score, number of selections from each deck and classification of performance as impaired or unimpaired. No significant differences in IGT performance were found between patients with and without frontal lesions and between patients with mild and severe TBI., Conclusions: Results indicate poor DM on the IGT in patients with TBI, regardless of lesion location and severity. The instrument proved to be equally sensitive to both frontal and extrafrontal lesions and did not differentiate between patients with mild and severe TBI.