Sensitivity to Noise Following a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Longitudinal Study.

OBJECTIVE To describe changes in the prevalence and clinical correlates of noise sensitivity (NS) in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) across a 12-month period and to determine whether NS at an early stage of recovery has predictive value for later postconcussive symptoms. SETTING A mixed urban and rural region of New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS Data for 341 adults (201 males, 140 females; age range from 16 to 91 years) were extracted from a 1-year TBI incidence, and outcomes study was conducted in New Zealand. DESIGN Secondary analysis of data from a community-based, longitudinal population study of an mTBI incidence cohort collected within 1 week of injury (baseline) and at 1, 6, and 12 months postinjury. MAIN MEASURES Measures at baseline (within 2 weeks of the injury) and 1, 6, and 12 months included the Rivermead Post-concussion Symptoms Questionnaire and its NS item, the Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale, and the computerized CNS-Vital Signs neurocognitive test. RESULTS NS progressively declined postinjury, from 45% at baseline to 28% at 12 months. In turn, NS showed itself as a significant predictor of future postconcussive symptoms. CONCLUSION Taken together with previous research, the findings of the current study indicate that NS may have clinical utility in flagging vulnerability to persistent postconcussive symptoms.