Neuropsychological deficits following head injury in children.

Children who had sustained head injuries were divided into three groups on the basis of severity of injury defined according to neurological criteria, and their performance on a battery of neuropsychological tests was compared. The groups were matched for age and sex. Performance IQ and timed tests of motor speed, fine-motor coordination, tactual-spatial functions, and verbal fluency showed significantly greater deficits for severely injured patients than for those who were mildly or moderately injured. Relations between neurologic indices of severity of injury and psychological outcome measures were investigated. Glasgow Coma Scale severity scores and the duration of altered consciousness were related to performance on several major neuropsychological functions. Acute intracranial pressure measures were unrelated to outcome. Comparisons of neuropsychological profiles indicated that the pattern of deficit after severe head injury is more distinctive than are those after mild and moderate injuries. Deficit patterns were least similar for the mild and severe groups, and were most similar for the mild and moderate groups. Results were discussed in terms of their prognostic utility, and suggestions were made for the future study of neurologic-psychologic relations after head injury.