Word retrieval following mild TBI: Implications for categorical deficits

Background: Theories on the organisation and structure of semantic knowledge of nouns and verbs have been based on findings with aphasic patients with focal lesions. Populations with diffuse lesions, such as mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), may offer additional information relative to lexical access of nouns and verbs. Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate possible dissociation between noun and verb retrieval after MTBI using the Test of Adolescent Adult Word Finding (TAWF). Methods & Procedures: Two groups, 10 MTBI and 10 non‐brain‐damaged (NBD) persons, who had normal vision and hearing, and no history of developmental disabilities, previous head injury, or substance abuse, were participants. Criteria for MTBI included: loss of consciousness <30 minutes and/or PTA<24 hours, GCS 13–15, and negative CT scan. The experimental task was the TAWF, focusing on differences in accuracy and response time for noun and verb naming. Outcomes & Results: Paired sample t‐tests comparing nouns and verbs ...