Cognitive Reserve and Attention in Older Adults with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Author Information
Author(s): Balart-Sánchez Sebastián A., Bittencourt Mayra, Jalili Seyedehzahra, van der Naalt Joukje, Maurits Natasha M.
Primary Institution: Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Hypothesis
Higher cognitive reserve will be protective against performance deterioration after mild traumatic brain injury.
Conclusion
Older adults with mild traumatic brain injury and higher cognitive reserve employ more brain resources than those with lower cognitive reserve, resulting in similar performance on a visual attentional processing task.
Supporting Evidence
- Older adults with higher cognitive reserve showed increased P2 amplitude.
- Higher cognitive reserve correlated with delayed P2 latency.
- Performance did not significantly differ across groups or task conditions.
Takeaway
Older people who have more brain power can use more of their brain to help them think after a head injury, but it might take them longer to do it.
Methodology
The study involved 17 older adults with mild traumatic brain injury and 19 matched controls performing a visual attention task while EEG was recorded.
Potential Biases
Potential selection bias due to the exclusion of participants with excessive EEG artifacts.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size and included participants with CT abnormalities, which may affect generalizability.
Participant Demographics
17 older adults with mTBI (13 males, mean age 68.18 years) and 19 age- and CR-matched controls (9 males, mean age 67.79 years).
Statistical Information
P-Value
p = .03 for P2 latency, p = .02 for P2 amplitude
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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