Frontal lobe dysfunction following closed head injury. A review of the literature.

This review of the relationship between frontal lobe pathology and sequelae of closed head injury (CHI) emphasizes the variety of neuropsychological disturbances that may be present and factors that influence symptom presentation. First, the mechanisms of injury in CHI are briefly summarized with an emphasis on frontal involvement. This summary is followed by an overview of frontal lobe structure and function including behavioral and cognitive sequelae associated with frontal damage in other patient populations. Next, findings specifically related to frontal dysfunction in CHI patients are presented. These studies, although few in number, indicate that CHI patients frequently exhibit deficits indicative of frontal damage. The clinical implications of frontal dysfunction following CHI and potential avenues for future research are discussed.