Mild traumatic brain injury

Abstract

There is nothing in the field of neuropsychology that is more divisive than the topic of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). While most will agree that an MTBI can be defined in its most basic terms as a traumatically induced alteration in mental status resulting from a physiological disrup- tion of the brain, there is little consensus in the field about the natural course of recovery and whether persisting symptoms of MTBI are attrib- uted to continuing effects of brain dysfunction, a result of a psychological reaction to injury, or an attempt to obtain a secondary gain through litigation or some other mechanism. Furthermore, the controversy surrounding MTBI has been heightened over the past decade through media accounts of brain injuries sustained by athletes and those serving in the military, providing the public with views that differ from what is present in the professional literature. The positive result of this exposure has been to increase public awareness about MTBI, which has provided investigators in the field the resources to perform a number of controlled investigations on athlete and military samples. The aim of this chapter is to provide a concise review on the research literature on MTBI in addition to a simple evidence-based approach to neuropsychological assessment and intervention, informed primarily by findings from studies on sports-related injuries.