A - 15 Evaluation of a Clinical Test Battery to Identify mTBI in Older Adults

Abstract

Abstract Objective The examine the utility of neuropsychological assessment in differentiating older adults with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) from controls. Methods Fifty-two older adults (40% male) aged 60–76 (M = 66.44, SD = 4.74) years were included in the study; 27 diagnosed with mTBI within three months of injury (33.07+/−18.86 days) and 25 age-group and sex-matched controls. Participants completed the following procedures: clinical interview, Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status [RBANS], Wide Range Achievement Test [WRAT], Clock drawing, Post-Concussion Symptom Scale [PCSS], Short Fall Efficacy Scale [SFES], Generalized Anxiety Disorder- 7 Item Scale [GAD-7], Geriatric Depression Scale- 5 Item [GDS-5], and Vestibular/Oculomotor Screening [VOMS]. Statistical comparisons were performed using paired t-tests and chi-square analyses with significance of p < 0.05. Results There were no significant differences on demographics, aside from participants in the mTBI group being more likely to have a history of sleep disorder (χ2 = 10.26, p = 0.001). The groups significantly differed on RBANS subtests (list-learning, list recall, list recognition, and semantic fluency), VOMS Total Score and near point of convergence, PCSS, GAD-7, and the SFES, with the mTBI group consistently performing more poorly on cognitive testing and endorsing more symptoms. The mTBI group performed better on clock drawing. Conclusions The present study represents an initial investigation of the utility of a multidomain evaluation for mTBI in the subacute phase in older adults. Findings support the use of the RBANS immediate, delay, and recognition memory subtests and the RBANS semantic fluency subtest, as well as the VOMS, PCSS, GAD-7, and SFES for differentiating older adults with mTBI from controls.