Clinical sensitivity of four measures of attention to mild traumatic brain injury

The percentage of mild traumatic brain-injury patients receiving impaired scores was determined for four neuropsychological measures of attention: Digit Span, Trail Making Test, Paced Auditory Serial Addition test (PASAT), and an auditory Continuous Performance Test of Attention (CPTA). Sensitivity was also determined based on overall criteria for multiple measures. Significant variability among the attention measures was apparent, with patients more likely to demonstrate impaired performance on the PASAT and CPTA. This appeared due to the interaction of demands upon information processing speed and capacity in response to externally paced stimuli. The results are relevant to concerns regarding the clinical interpretation of neuropsychological measures of attention.