Behavioral and cognitive sequelae of head trauma.

Traumatic brain injury accounts for many deaths each year. Those who survive stand a high chance of sustaining permanent cognitive and behavioral sequelae that will impact not only their own lives, but those of family and friends. The most frequently observed cognitive manifestations include memory loss, decreased rates of information processing, and cognitive rigidity. The most common behavioral manifestations are lack of impulse control, increased agitation, and mood lability. While these deficits are often permanent, cognitive retraining and behavioral management can modulate responses. The focus of care is on reorganization of existing abilities rather than modification of abnormal responses.