Expectation as Etiology in Traumatic Brain Injury

“Diagnosis threat” itself produces postconcussive symptoms in patients with histories of mild concussion.

Although most individuals recover after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), some experience persistent symptoms. Expectations about TBI influence recovery and symptoms (JW Psychiatry Aug 6 2007). The concept of “diagnosis threat” derives from “stereotype threat,” when a member of a group performs poorly on a task thought to be difficult for the group. To learn more about how diagnosis threat influences individuals with mTBI as they undergo assessments, researchers studied 87 undergraduates (mean age, 20); 43 had experienced mild concussions at least 6 months earlier (mean, 2-minute loss of consciousness).

The participants were told that the study was investigating either working memory after head injury (diagnosis threat condition) or workin…

Reviewing Author

Jonathan Silver, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions

Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)

Jonathan Silver, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions

Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience