Psychology Department, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales.
J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2013 Feb;19(2):181-8. doi: 10.1017/S135561771200118X. Epub 2013 Jan 8.
A temporal discounting paradigm was used to examine decision making for hypothetical monetary reward following traumatic brain injury (TBI). A case-control design compared individuals following moderate or severe TBI with a healthy control group matched for age and gender. The impact of intelligence, impulsivity, and mood on temporal discounting performance was examined. A within-subjects design for the TBI group determined the influence of a range of neuropsychological tests on temporal discounting performance. Both patients and controls demonstrated temporal discounting. However, the TBI group discounted more than controls, suggesting that their decision making was more impulsive, consistent with ratings on the impulsiveness questionnaire. Discounting performance was independent of neuropsychological measures of intelligence, memory, and executive function. There was no relationship between temporal discounting and ratings of everyday executive function made by patients' relatives. Low mood did not account for discounting performance. The results of this study suggest that temporal discounting may be a useful neuropsychological paradigm to assess decision making linked to monetary reward following TBI. Performance was relatively independent of intelligence, memory and standard tests of executive ability and may therefore assist when assessing a patient's mental capacity to manage their financial affairs.
采用时间折扣范式研究了创伤性脑损伤（TBI）后对假设性货币奖励的决策。病例对照设计比较了中度或重度 TBI 患者与年龄和性别相匹配的健康对照组。研究了智力、冲动和情绪对时间折扣表现的影响。TBI 组采用了一种被试内设计，以确定一系列神经心理学测试对时间折扣表现的影响。患者和对照组都表现出了时间折扣。然而，TBI 组的折扣幅度大于对照组，这表明他们的决策更冲动，与冲动问卷的评分一致。折扣表现与智力、记忆和执行功能的神经心理学测量无关。时间折扣与患者亲属对日常执行功能的评价之间没有关系。情绪低落并不能说明折扣表现。这项研究的结果表明，时间折扣可能是一种有用的神经心理学范式，可用于评估 TBI 后与货币奖励相关的决策。表现相对独立于智力、记忆和标准执行能力测试，因此在评估患者管理财务事务的心理能力时可能会有所帮助。
