[Memory function after head injuries].

The article evaluates memory function in 190 patients with traumatic head injuries. Both the patient's own impression of his/her memory function and a neuropsychological examination are separately rated as normal, slight, moderate or severely affected. The main tendency is for patients with mild head injuries (who were never in coma or who were in coma for up to 15 minutes) to express greater problems with their memory function than revealed by neuropsychological testing. On the other hand, patients who were in coma for more than one week, express memory problems less frequently than shown by testing. There are low corresponding figures between the different degrees of memory function expressed by the patients, and the results of the neuropsychological testing. The results have implications both for diagnosis and for vocational counseling.