INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 03 Program Schedule 02/15/2024 09:30 am - 10:40 am Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120) Poster Session 03: Neurotrauma \| Neurovascular Final Abstract #76 Relationships Between RBANS Intra-Individual Variability and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Veterans and Civilians with Traumatic Brain Injury Carson Teague, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Detroit, United States Erica Benfield, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Detroit, United States Naghmeh Moadab, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Detroit, United States Category: Acquired Brain Injury (TBI/Cerebrovascular Injury and Disease - Adult) Keyword 1: traumatic brain injury Keyword 2: neuropsychiatry Keyword 3: assessment Objective: Intra-individual variability (IIV) is rarely examined as an indicator of impairment in the traumatic brain injury (TBI) literature (Hill et al., 2013; Merritt et al., 2018). Neuropsychiatric symptoms may affect performance during a neuropsychological evaluation through increased IIV. Previous research found self-report measures of depression and PTSD were related to deficits in Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) performance above and beyond TBI alone (Merz et al., 2017). The current study extends this work by investigating the relationship between IIV and measures of neuropsychiatric status. IIV was examined across a full battery including 17 neurocognitive variables and seperately across the RBANS. Finally, we explored differences in this relationship between three groups of participants: (1) healthy civilian controls, (2) civilians with TBI, and (3) veterans with TBI. Participants and Methods: Participants were 182 males ranging in age from 18-62 (M = 32.83, SD = 8.75) and were predominately Caucasian (71%) and African American (20%). 61 healthy civilian controls, 59 civilians with a record of TBI, and 62 military veterans with active-duty related TBI were included. Two IIV indices, average standard deviation (ASD) and maximum discrepancy (MD), were calculated for the full battery and the RBANS. Neuropsychiatric self-report measures included the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), PTSD Checklist–Civilian Version (PCL-C), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15), and Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI). Results: Veterans reported the most severe neuropsychiatric symptoms, followed by civilians with TBI and controls. The full battery had inverse relationships between overall test battery mean and four of five symptom inventories, though not between neuropsychiatric measures and IIV. In contrast, RBANS-IIV was significantly correlated with all symptom inventories and overall test battery mean. Given these findings, we used the RBANS to explore differences between the three participant groups. For healthy civilian controls, RBANS-ASD was correlated with the BAI (r = .343, p = .007); RBANS-MD was correlated with the BAI (r = .342, p = .007) and the BDI-II (r = .300, p = .019). For civilians with TBI, RBANS-MD was correlated with the BDI-II (r = .269, p = .049). For veterans with TBI, the NSI was correlated with RBANS-ASD (r = .307, p = .015) and RBANS-MD (r = .273, p = .032). The PCL-C was correlated with RBANS-ASD (r = .327, p = .009) and RBANS-MD (r = .307, p = .015). The BDI-II was correlated with the RBANS-ASD (r = .260, p = .041). Conclusions: We found many significant correlations between RBANS-IIV and neuropsychiatric measures that were not present in the full battery. Between participant groups, veterans with TBI had the greatest number of significant correlations. These findings may indicate the RBANS is more sensitive to the impact of neuropsychiatric symptoms, which is relevant to consider during test battery selection. Relationships between RBANS-IIV and neuropsychiatric measures could provide additional explanations for interpreting RBANS scores, especially when assessing veterans with TBI.

Poster

02/15/2024
09:30 am - 10:40 am
Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120)

Poster Session 03: Neurotrauma | Neurovascular

Final Abstract #76

Relationships Between RBANS Intra-Individual Variability and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Veterans and Civilians with Traumatic Brain Injury

Carson Teague, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Detroit, United States
Erica Benfield, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Detroit, United States
Naghmeh Moadab, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Detroit, United States

Category: Acquired Brain Injury (TBI/Cerebrovascular Injury and Disease - Adult)

Keyword 1: traumatic brain injury
Keyword 2: neuropsychiatry
Keyword 3: assessment

Objective:

Intra-individual variability (IIV) is rarely examined as an indicator of impairment in the traumatic brain injury (TBI) literature (Hill et al., 2013; Merritt et al., 2018). Neuropsychiatric symptoms may affect performance during a neuropsychological evaluation through increased IIV. Previous research found self-report measures of depression and PTSD were related to deficits in Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) performance above and beyond TBI alone (Merz et al., 2017). The current study extends this work by investigating the relationship between IIV and measures of neuropsychiatric status. IIV was examined across a full battery including 17 neurocognitive variables and seperately across the RBANS. Finally, we explored differences in this relationship between three groups of participants: (1) healthy civilian controls, (2) civilians with TBI, and (3) veterans with TBI.

Participants and Methods:

Participants were 182 males ranging in age from 18-62 (M = 32.83, SD = 8.75) and were predominately Caucasian (71%) and African American (20%). 61 healthy civilian controls, 59 civilians with a record of TBI, and 62 military veterans with active-duty related TBI were included. Two IIV indices, average standard deviation (ASD) and maximum discrepancy (MD), were calculated for the full battery and the RBANS. Neuropsychiatric self-report measures included the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), PTSD Checklist–Civilian Version (PCL-C), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15), and Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI).

Results:

Veterans reported the most severe neuropsychiatric symptoms, followed by civilians with TBI and controls. The full battery had inverse relationships between overall test battery mean and four of five symptom inventories, though not between neuropsychiatric measures and IIV. In contrast, RBANS-IIV was significantly correlated with all symptom inventories and overall test battery mean. Given these findings, we used the RBANS to explore differences between the three participant groups.

For healthy civilian controls, RBANS-ASD was correlated with the BAI (r = .343, p = .007); RBANS-MD was correlated with the BAI (r = .342, p = .007) and the BDI-II (r = .300, p = .019). For civilians with TBI, RBANS-MD was correlated with the BDI-II (r = .269, p = .049). For veterans with TBI, the NSI was correlated with RBANS-ASD (r = .307, p = .015) and RBANS-MD (r = .273, p = .032). The PCL-C was correlated with RBANS-ASD (r = .327, p = .009) and RBANS-MD (r = .307, p = .015). The BDI-II was correlated with the RBANS-ASD (r = .260, p = .041).

Conclusions:

We found many significant correlations between RBANS-IIV and neuropsychiatric measures that were not present in the full battery. Between participant groups, veterans with TBI had the greatest number of significant correlations. These findings may indicate the RBANS is more sensitive to the impact of neuropsychiatric symptoms, which is relevant to consider during test battery selection. Relationships between RBANS-IIV and neuropsychiatric measures could provide additional explanations for interpreting RBANS scores, especially when assessing veterans with TBI.