Adolescents with closed head injuries. A report of initial cognitive deficits.

Accidents represent the leading cause of morbidity in the adolescent age group. Closed head injuries (CHI) sustained in such accidents are frequently associated with cognitive deficits. The intent of this study was to explore the neuropsychological functioning of adolescents with CHI. Thirty-three teenagers who had sustained CHI as the result of a motor vehicle or motor vehicle/pedestrian accident were compared with orthopedically injured (n = 13) and matched, noninjured (n = 35) control groups. Results indicated that immediately after injury, patients with CHI performed poorer than their counterparts on measures of intelligence, cognitive flexibility, memory (particularly verbal recall), and verbal fluency. Thus, the findings indicate that adolescents who sustain CHI experience pervasive cognitive deficits immediately after injury that potentially interfere with reentry into their home, school, and peer activities.