Affiliations: [a]
Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk | [b]
Medical College of Virginia, Richmond | [c]
University of Virginia Medical School, Charlottesville | [d]
Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center, Fishersville | [e]
Medical College of Virginia, Richmond
Note: [1] Primary support for this project was provided by the Virginia Spinal Cord Injury System, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Department of Rehabilitative Services. This work was also partly supported by Grants G0087C0219 and H133B80029 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education. Partial support was also provided through a grant awarded by International Business Machines Corporation. Appreciation is expressed to Mike Gangloff, James Tomer, Walt Wilson, Debra Gideon, and Tom Boyd for their role in planning and implementation of the research project. The authors are also grateful for the help provided by rehabilitation staff at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Medical College of Virginia, University of Virginia, Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center, and Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
Abstract: Evidence is accumulating that many persons with spinal cord injury also have acquired brain injury. The investigation reported here included a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment of 89 persons admitted to university hospitals for treatment of acute spinal cord injury. Between one-fourth and one-half of the subjects demonstrated impairment in most areas of cognitive functioning. Findings are consistent with those of prior investigations. These results have important implications for clinical practice; however, uncertainties exist about the exact etiology of cognitive impairments, and further research is needed to elucidate their origin.
