The Influence of Cognitive Reserve on Recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Objective

we sought to determine the degree to which cognitive reserve, as assessed by the Test of Premorbid Functioning in combination with demographic variables, could act as a buffer against the effect of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on cognitive test performance.

Method

retrospective analysis of a cohort of 121 persons with TBI who completed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Fourth Edition (WAIS–IV) within 1–12 months after injury.

Results

regression analyses indicated that cognitive reserve was a statistically significant predictor of all postinjury WAIS–IV factor index scores, after controlling for various premorbid and comorbid confounding variables. Only for Processing Speed did injury severity make an additional statistically significant contribution to the prediction model.

Conclusions

cognitive reserve has a protective effect with regard to the impact of TBI on cognitive test performance but this effect is imperfect and does not completely negate the effect of injury severity.

Brain reserve, Protective factors, Injury severity, Processing speed, Risk factors, Sequelae