Premorbid Personality Traits and Brain Recovery: Another Aspect of Resilience

Abstract

The concept of “reserve” is defined as the resources being available to deal with adverse environmental influences on the human brain, and it has been proposed to account for the mismatch between brain pathology and clinical expression. New multidimensional approaches take into account the complexity and dynamic relation between the construct of reserve and post-damage neurobehavioral changes associated with negative consequences of neurological damage on functional outcomes, caregiver distress, and social reintegration following the traumatic event. In this framework, environmental factors, emotional aspects, and premorbid personality traits have increasingly been considered as potential moderators of traumatic brain damage. The present work constitutes a preliminary attempt to define and characterize the role of premorbid personality within the context of resilience against the detrimental effects of traumatic brain damage on adaptive functioning. Premorbid personality features appear to be a relevant factor of resilience that predicts brain recovery efficiency.