Post Traumatic Amnesia

Abstract

For some seven decades, posttraumatic amnesia (PTA) has been viewed by most to be a key indicator of the severity of head injury and a predictor of long-term outcome. Discussed here is a historical introduction, definition of PTA, description of assessment tools, behavior and cognitive function and recovery during PTA, and of relationships between PTA and outcome and the evidence for behavioral interventions that attempt to reduce PTA duration.