Cognitive impairments

Cognitive impairments after brain injury present significant challenges for patients’ health, quality of life, recovery and return to premorbid levels of home, community, occupational and social functioning. This chapter provides an overview and synthesis of cognitive impairments that are commonly associated with acquired brain injury in adults, with emphasis on traumatic brain injury (TBI). Cognitive and related behavioral symptoms are major concerns in many types of brain injury and can prove challenging not only for patients but also for clinicians and family members. The chapter summarizes the deficits in fundamental processes that support most domains of cognition. These include reaction time, attention, working memory, and self-awareness. It examines the major domains of cognition, ranging from general intelligence, memory, and spatial cognition through executive functions and social cognition. The chapter focuses specifically on learning and short-term memory as well as the distinction between declarative and procedural memory systems.