Neuropsychological Outcome of Closed Head Injury in Children and Adolescents

45 children and adolescents recovering from closed head injury underwent neuropsychological testing. Multiple indices were used to classify the severity of injury but most important in this study were the persistence of coma indexed by grades I--III and the Glasgow Coma Scale. Although the presence of early neuropsychological sequelae and long-term intellectual deficit was generally related to the severity of injury, residual impairment was also found in patients with relatively mild injuries. Analysis of memory and learning demonstrated disruption of both storage and retrieval processes.