Prospective memory and traumatic brain injury: A review

Abstract

To the best of our knowledge, the present paper is the first review in Hungarian on the topic of prospective memory (PM), and it has a dual objective. On the one hand, it summarizes the most important concepts, theories, experimental and neuroscientific results of PM, describing the clinical relevance of the research. PM refers to the memory for future intentions, and it is a complex cognitive ability that is essential in performing our day-to-day tasks. PM function is related to the prefrontal cortex and its connections, and its dysfunction is well-documented in several diseases affecting the frontostriatal system. This review focuses on traumatic brain injury, a common neurological disorder. Patients with traumatic brain injury experience PM dysfunction, which is a common and persistent cognitive disorder making their everyday life the most difficult. Nevertheless, little research has investigated the factors contributing to decreased PM performance in this patient population, and the results are contradictory. Another goal of our study is to summarize empirical research on PM performance after traumatic brain injury. In this literature review, we identified 25 empirical studies comparing the PM performance of adults with traumatic brain injury with those of healthy controls. Based on these empirical results, PM dysfunction is a common finding after traumatic brain injury. However, a number of factors can affect PM performance in this population: the severity and localization of injury, time spent in coma, length of posttraumatic amnesia, time since injury, mood disorders and comorbid cognitive disorders, and task characteristics, such as the type of measurement, the components of the PM task, and features of the PM cue and the ongoing task. In our opinion, these findings not only provide essential conclusions about understanding the functioning of PM, but they can also establish the foundation for rehabilitation and therapeutic work, and contribute to the creation of an effective cognitive training focused on PM for traumatic brain injury patients.