| Alcohol intoxication frequently plays an etiologic role in the occurrence of traumatic brain injury. Few studies, however, have examined whether pre-injury alcohol usage exacerbates cognitive impairment and neurobehavioral problems that commonly occur secondary to traumatic brain injury. Research was conducted to examine the influence of blood alcohol level at hospital admission for traumatic brain injury on cognitive recovery and neurobehavioral adjustment. Results indicated that admission blood alcohol level was predictive of poorer retention of verbal material over time, delayed verbal memory, and visuospatial functioning during the post-acute stage of recovery. In addition, predictive trends were observed on measures of immediate verbal memory and perseveration. During late stage recovery, blood alcohol level was negatively associated with changes in immediate verbal memory and to a neurobehavioral measure of energy, mood, and activity level. This is one of the first studies to clearly document an adverse influence of acute alcohol ingestion on cognitive outcome following traumatic brain injury. |
