Abstract

This study was designed to identify the usefulness, validity and limitations of computerized neuropsychological test, STIM. Subjects were 30 traumatic brain-injury patients with CNS leisons in brain-imaging test findings - MRI or CT - and 32 patients without CNS leisons, and 30 normal control group. Among the subtests of STIM, finger-tapping test, visual continuous test, spatial memory test, attention switching test, categories test, and Wisconsin card-sorting test and KWIS were performed by all subjects. Total I.Q. of leisoned patients group and non-lesioned patients group were lower than normal control group. In the result of 6 subtests of STIM, fine motor coordination, psychomotor speed, continuous and selective attention, short-term memory, and high cognitive functioning of lesioned patients group and fine motor coordination, psychomotor speed, and high cognitive functioning of non-lesioned patients group were significantly lower than normal control group. In the cross validity analysis with the subtests of STIM and the subtests of KWIS, each subtest showned hign correlation with the cognitive functioning that was theoretically supposed to be assessed by the test. In correlation analysis of the extra variables, total I.Q., age, and education with the subtests of STIM, these three extra variables had significant correlations with visual continuous test, spatial memory test, categories test, and WSCT, but did not have significant correlations with finger-tapping test and attention switching test. Although there were some limitations of the problems of tools and lack of Verbal subtest for Korean version, this computerized neuropsychological test battery was proven to be very useful in assessment of the impaired cognitive funtioning domain of traumatic brain-injury patients.