Rehabilitation of working memory after acquired brain injury and multiple sclerosis: A systematic review.

The objective is to study the effectiveness of working memory (WM) rehabilitation after Acquired brain injury (ABI) and multiple sclerosis (MS). A systematic database search of published studies, following PRISMA recommendations, with assessment of methodological quality and risk of bias, was conducted. The results were analysed according to the rehabilitation method used. 31 studies (including 14 class I) were included, and 11 different training programs were identified. Despite great variability in training methodology and outcome measures, the results were positive overall. However, only three rehabilitation programs showed a transfer effect to WM (near) and daily life with long-term maintenance. The results were more variable for protocols limited to the use of computerized n-back training tasks. Overall, the current evidence supports multi-task WM training rather than single-task-limited program. It also supports early and long duration training, with some therapist support. However, it is not possible, to date, to make strong recommendations regarding the rehabilitation program to be used preferentially. Although results are encouraging, level of evidence remains modest, particularly regarding the maintenance of the therapeutic effect after the end of training, and the transfer to everyday life skills. The influence of rehabilitation parameters (training duration, therapist involvement … ) remains difficult to assess.

Relationships between neuropsychological impairments and functional outcome eight years after severe traumatic brain injury: Results from the PariS-TBI study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The objective was to assess the relationships between neuropsychological impairments, functional outcome and life satisfaction in a longitudinal study of patients after a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) (PariS-TBI study). PATIENTS: Out of 243 survivors, 86 were evaluated 8 years post-injury. They did not significantly differ from patients lost-to-follow up except for the latter being more frequently students or unemployed before the injury. METHODS: Outcome measures included the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E), a functional independence questionnaire, employment, mood, fatigue and satisfaction with life. Neuropsychological outcome was assessed by two ways: performance-based outcome measures, using neuropsychological tests and patient and relative-based measures. RESULTS: Neuropsychological measures were not significantly related to initial injury severity nor to gender, but were significantly related to age and education. After statistical correction for multiple comparisons, cognitive testing and cognitive questionnaires were significantly correlated with most outcome measures. By contrast, satisfaction with life was only related with patient-rated questionnaires. A regression analysis showed that the Trail-Making-Test-A was the best predictor of functional outcome, in addition to education duration. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive measures, particularly slowed information processing speed, were significant indicators of functional outcome at a long-term post-injury, beyond and above demographics or injury severity measures.

Blue-Enriched White Light Therapy Reduces Fatigue in Survivors of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Fatigue is one of the disabling sequelae of traumatic brain injury (TBI), with repercussions on quality of life, rehabilitation, and professional reintegration. Research is needed on effective interventions. We evaluated efficacy of blue-enriched white light (BWL) therapy on fatigue of patients with severe TBI. SETTING: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Physiology departments of University hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients with fatigue symptoms following severe TBI, Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) score 4 or more, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score 10 or more, and/or Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI]) more than 5 were randomly assigned to one of 2 parallel groups: a BWL therapy group, with 30-minute exposure to waking white light enriched with blue for 4 weeks, and a group without light therapy (N-BWL), no light. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT02420275. MAIN MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was the response of the FSS to 4 weeks of treatment. In addition, we assessed latency change of the P300 component of event-related potentials before and after therapy. RESULTS: Significant improvement in the FSS score (P = .026) was found in the BWL group compared with the N-BWL group. CONCLUSION: BWL phototherapy reduces fatigue in patients with severe TBI.

Treatment of social cognition impairments in patients with traumatic brain injury: a critical review.

Objective: The aim of this study is to review published research on treatment of social cognition impairments in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, a PubMed literature search was conducted, followed by a manual search in recently published papers. Main criteria for selection were that patients had sustained a TBI, and that social cognition was the main target of treatment. A total of 16 papers and three reviews were selected and included in the present review.Results: Five studies (including three randomized controlled trials (RCT)) addressed facial affect recognition, one study specifically addressed emotional prosody, two RCTs used a combination of treatment strategies addressing social perception deficits. Six studies, including two RCTs, addressed social communication skills or theory of mind. Finally, two RCTs reported the effectiveness of a more global approach, addressing multiple domains of social cognition, such as emotion perception, social skills training, and theory of mind.Discussion/conclusion: Although there has been much less research on treatment of social cognition in patients with TBI as compared with psychiatric conditions, the findings reported in the present review are encouraging. Further multicenter large-scale RCTs are needed, with special emphasis on the generalization of treatment effects to social skills in everyday life.

Psychometric properties of the French version of the Rating Scale of Attentional Behaviour.

The Rating Scale of Attentional Behaviour (RSAB) was devised by Ponsford and Kinsella to assess the impact of attentional impairments on everyday behaviour. The scale includes 14 items. The objective of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of a French translation of the RSAB. A sample of 196 healthy participants and 27 patients with chronic acquired brain injury was included. For healthy participants, both self and a relative's ratings were independently recorded. For the patients, a therapist's rating was obtained in addition. The scale showed good internal consistency. A mild significant effect of education duration was found in the healthy control group. Principal component analysis in healthy participants (self-assessment) yielded three underlying factors accounting for 58.2% of the variance. The scale was able to adequately discriminate patients from healthy controls. The area under the ROC curve was 0.76 both for self- and proxy ratings. In the patient group, the item related to fatigue was the one that obtained the highest ranking. RSAB ratings were poorly related to neuropsychological testing, but proxy ratings were significantly correlated with other questionnaires assessing cognitive failures, mood and fatigue.

Subjective complaints after acquired brain injury: presentation of the Brain Injury Complaint Questionnaire (BICoQ).

The objective of the present study was to present a new complaint questionnaire designed to assess a wide range of difficulties commonly reported by patients with acquired brain injury. Patients (n = 619) had been referred to a community re-entry service at a chronic stage after brain injury, mainly traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Brain Injury Complaint Questionnaire (BICoQ) includes 25 questions in the following domains: cognition, behavior, fatigue and sleep, mood, and somatic problems. A self and a proxy questionnaire were given. An additional question was given to the relative, about the patient's awareness of his difficulties. The questionnaires had a good internal coherence, as measured with Cronbach's alpha. The most frequent complaints were, in decreasing order, mental slowness, memory troubles, fatigue, concentration difficulties, anxiety, and dual tasking problems. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation yielded six underlying factors explaining 50.5% of total variance: somatic concerns, cognition, and lack of drive, lack of control, psycholinguistic disorders, mood, and mental fatigue/slowness. About 52% of patients reported fewer complaints than their proxy, suggesting lack of awareness. The total complaint scores were not significantly correlated with any injury severity measure, but were significantly correlated with disability and poorer quality of life (Note: only factor 2 [cognition/lack of drive] was significantly related to disability.) The BICoQ is a simple scale that can be used in addition to traditional clinical and cognitive assessment measures, and to assess awareness of everyday life problems.

Self-awareness four years after severe traumatic brain injury: discordance between the patient's and relative's complaints. Results from the PariS-TBI study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the patient's awareness of his or her difficulties in the chronic phase of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to determine the factors related to poor awareness. DESIGN/SETTING/SUBJECTS: This study was part of a larger prospective inception cohort study of patients with severe TBI in the Parisian region (PariS-TBI study). Intervention/Main measures: Evaluation was carried out at four years and included the Brain Injury Complaint Questionnaire (BICoQ) completed by the patient and his or her relative as well as the evaluation of impairments, disability and quality of life. RESULTS: A total of 90 patient-relative pairs were included. Lack of awareness was measured using the unawareness index that corresponded to the number of discordant results between the patient and relative in the direction of under evaluation of difficulties by the patient. The only significant relationship found with lack of awareness was the subjective burden perceived by the relative (Zarit Burden Inventory) ( r = 0.5; P < 0.00001). There was no significant relationship between lack of awareness and injury severity, pre-injury socio-demographic data, cognitive impairments, mood disorders, functional independence (Barthel index), global disability (Glasgow Outcome Scale), return to work at four years or quality of life (Quality Of Life after Brain Injury scale (QOLIBRI)). CONCLUSION: Lack of awareness four years post severe TBI was not related to the severity of the initial trauma, sociodemographic data, the severity of impairments, limitations of activity and participation, or the patient's quality of life. However, poor awareness did significantly influence the weight of the burden perceived by the relative.

[Cognitive disorders of head trauma patients]. / Les troubles cognitifs des traumatisés crâniens cérébraux.

The repercussions of cognitive disorders resulting from a traumatic brain injury are considerable in patients' daily life. Their quality of life and that of their families is significantly reduced; their reintegration into working life difficult. This chronic cognitive disability requires adapted treatment.

Objective and Subjective Burden of Informal Caregivers 4 Years After a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Results From the PariS-TBI Study.

OBJECTIVE: Prospective assessment of informal caregiver (IC) burden 4 years after the traumatic brain injury of a relative. SETTING: Longitudinal cohort study (metropolitan Paris, France). PARTICIPANTS: Home dwelling adults (N = 98) with initially severe traumatic brain injury and their primary ICs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Informal caregiver objective burden (Resource Utilization in Dementia measuring Informal Care Time [ICT]), subjective burden (Zarit Burden Inventory), monetary self-valuation of ICT (Willingness-to-pay, Willingness-to-accept). RESULTS: Informal caregivers were women (81%) assisting men (80%) of mean age of 37 years. Fifty-five ICs reported no objective burden (ICT = 0) and no/low subjective burden (average Zarit Burden Inventory = 12.1). Forty-three ICs reported a major objective burden (average ICT = 5.6 h/d) and a moderate/severe subjective burden (average Zarit Burden Inventory = 30.3). In multivariate analyses, higher objective burden was associated with poorer Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended scores, with more severe cognitive disorders (Neurobehavioral Rating Scale-revised) and with no coresidency status; higher subjective burden was associated with poorer Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended scores, more Neurobehavioral Rating Scale-revised disorders, drug-alcohol abuse, and involvement in litigation. Economic valuation showed that on average, ICs did not value their ICT as free and preferred to pay a mean Willingness-to-pay = &OV0556;17 per hour to be replaced instead of being paid for providing care themselves (Willingness-to-accept = &OV0556;12). CONCLUSION: Four years after a severe traumatic brain injury, 44% of ICs experienced a heavy multidimensional burden.

Loss to Follow-Up and Social Background in an Inception Cohort of Patients With Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Results From the PariS-TBI Study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess determinants of loss to follow-up (FU) at 2 time points of an inception traumatic brain injury (TBI) cohort. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: The PariS-TBI study consecutively included 504 adults with severe TBI on the accident scene (76% male, mean age 42 years, mean Glasgow Coma Scale 5). No exclusion criteria were used. MAIN MEASURE: Loss to FU at 1 and 4 years was defined among survivors as having no outcome data other than survival status. RESULTS: Among 257 1-year survivors, 118 (47%) were lost to FU at 1 year and 98 (40%) at 4 years. Main reasons for loss to FU were impossibility to achieve contact (109 at 1 year, 52 at 4 years) and refusal to participate (respectively 5 and 24). At 1 year, individuals not working preinjury or with nonaccidental traumas were more often lost to FU in univariate and multivariable analyses. At 4 years, loss to FU was significantly associated with preinjury alcohol abuse and unemployment. Relationship with injury severity was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Socially disadvantaged persons are underrepresented in TBI outcome research. It could result in overestimation of outcome and biased estimates of sociodemographic characteristics' effects. These persons, particularly unemployed individuals, require special attention in clinical practice.

Executive Functions Deficits After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: The GREFEX Study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the sensitivity of traditional neuropsychological tests and of a behavioral inventory of executive disorders in a large sample of patients with chronic severe traumatic brain injury. METHODS: A total of 112 patients were compared with 780 healthy controls from a larger database. The GREFEX battery included 7 widely used tests and the Behavioral Dysexecutive Syndrome Inventory (proxy rating). A previously described statistical methodology was used, controlling for age, education, and gender. Summary scores were computed and performance was dichotomized on the basis of 5th percentile cutoffs from controls' z scores. RESULTS: The frequency of cognitive impairment was high (55.4%) but lower than that of behavioral changes (81.5%). Double dissociations were observed between cognitive and behavioral assessments. Behavioral changes exhibited larger effect-sizes as compared with cognitive impairments. Logistic regression analysis showed that 3 cognitive tests (verbal fluency, Stroop reading, and Trail Making Test-B) and 3 behavior z scores (hypoactivity, anticipation, and hyperactivity) best discriminated patients from controls. CONCLUSION: Behavioral changes were more frequent and severe than cognitive deficits, at least as assessed with traditional testing. The present results also suggest that a shortened battery may provide a rapid screening method with reasonable sensitivity to detect deficits of executive functions in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

Disability and health-related quality-of-life 4 years after a severe traumatic brain injury: A structural equation modelling analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess predictors and indicators of disability and quality-of-life 4 years after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), using structural equation modelling (SEM). METHODS: The PariS-TBI study is a longitudinal multi-centre inception cohort study of 504 patients with severe TBI. Among 245 survivors, 147 patients were evaluated upon 4-year follow-up, and 85 completed the full assessment. Two outcome measures were analysed separately using SEM: the Glasgow Outcome Scale-extended (GOS-E), to measure disability, and the QOLIBRI, to assess quality-of-life. Four groups of variables were entered in the model: demographics; injury severity; mood and cognitive impairments; somatic impairments. RESULTS: The GOS-E was directly significantly related to mood and cognition, injury severity, and somatic impairments. Age and education had an indirect effect, mediated by mood/cognition or somatic deficiencies. In contrast, the only direct predictor of QOLIBRI was mood and cognition. Age and somatic impairments had an indirect influence on the QOLIBRI. CONCLUSION: Although this study should be considered as explorative, it suggests that disability and quality-of-life were directly influenced by different factors. While disability appeared to result from an interaction of a wide range of factors, quality-of-life was solely directly related to psycho-cognitive factors.

Patterns of post-acute health care utilization after a severe traumatic brain injury: Results from the PariS-TBI cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To assess brain injury services utilization and their determinants using Andersen's model. METHODS: Prospective follow-up of the PariS-TBI inception cohort. Out of 504 adults with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), 245 survived and 147 received a 4-year outcome assessment (mean age 33 years, 80% men). Provision rates of medical, rehabilitation, social and re-entry services and their relations to patients' characteristics were assessed. RESULTS: Following acute care discharge, 78% of patients received physiotherapy, 61% speech/cognitive therapy, 50% occupational therapy, 41% psychological assistance, 63% specialized medical follow-up, 21% community re-entry assistance. Health-related need factors, in terms of TBI severity, were the main predictors of services. Provision of each therapy was significantly associated with corresponding speech, motor and psychological impairments. However, care provision did not depend on cognitive impairments and cognitive therapy was related to pre-disposing and geographical factors. Community re-entry assistance was provided to younger and more independent patients. CONCLUSIONS: These quantitative findings illustrate strengths and weaknesses of late brain injury care provision in urban France and highlight the need to improve treatment of cognitive impairments.

Ecological validity of the Dysexecutive Questionnaire: Results from the PariS-TBI study.

The Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX; Wilson, Pettigrew, & Teasdale, 1998 ) has been designed to assess executive dysfunctions in daily life. However, its relationships with cognitive testing, mood, and the ability to fulfil daily life demands, have not yet been systematically addressed. The objective of this study was to address these issues in a prospective four-year follow-up study of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) (PariS-TBI study). One hundred and forty seven patients were included. The DEX (self-version) showed a good internal consistency. The total DEX score was significantly inversely correlated with years of education, but did not significantly correlate with any initial injury severity measure. The DEX was significantly and positively related to cognitive deficits, as assessed with the Neurobehavioral Rating Scale-Revised (NRS-R); with mood disorders, as assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); with dependency in elementary and extended activities of daily living; and with non-return to work. In multivariate analyses, cognitive and mood impairments were significantly and independently related to the total DEX score. These results suggest that the DEX is a multidetermined sensitive questionnaire to detect everyday life difficulties in patients with severe TBI at a chronic stage.

Modularity in rehabilitation of working memory: a single-case study.

The objective of the present study was to assess the specificity of rehabilitation on different subdomains of working memory. A 38-year-old female with chronic (4 years) stroke suffered from an impairment of the three subdomains of working memory (modality-specific storage systems for verbal and visuo-spatial information and the central executive). She was given an experimental rehabilitation programme, using a multiple-baseline across behaviour design. After two baseline measures three months apart, the first training stage focused on the phonological loop, the second on the visuo-spatial sketchpad, and the third on central executive functions. Verbal aspects of working memory improved significantly after the first training stage, while visuo-spatial tests improved after the second training stage. Central executive functions improved mainly after the third training stage. Modularity effects were not as pronounced for less specific ecological outcome measures, such as the Working Memory Questionnaire, which improved throughout the trial, irrespective of the training condition. This case study suggests that there are both domain-specific and generalisation effects in rehabilitation of working memory, and that rehabilitation should be adapted and tailored to each individual patient's impairments.

Neuropsychological functioning of homeless people in Paris: An exploratory study.

Homelessness is a multifactorial issue, influenced by structural and individual factors. These factors include health status, which has been reported to be poorer among people experiencing homelessness. Although the somatic and mental health of homeless individuals has already been studied in France, to our knowledge, no research has been conducted on neuropsychological functioning in this country. Studies out with France have identified cognitive impairments as highly prevalent among homeless people, and these impairments are likely affected by local structural factors, such as healthcare access. Therefore, we conducted an exploratory study in Paris to evaluate cognition and associated factors in homeless adults. The second objective was to identify methodological specificities to consider in a future larger-scale study and for the application of the outcomes. For this exploratory phase, 14 individuals were recruited from specific services and were interviewed regarding their social, neurological, and psychiatric history, before completing a set of cognitive tests. The results showed a high diversity of profiles in terms of demographic characteristics, including being a migrant and/or illiterate. A high proportion of participants had signs of traumatic brain injury, anxiety, depressive disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Most cognitive scores were in the low average of normative data. No statistical association was found between identified risk factors and cognitive performance. Future studies should consider the sociodemographic specificities of the homeless population and design appropriate measurement tools to improve the understanding of neuropsychological profiles.

The Working Memory Questionnaire: a scale to assess everyday life problems related to deficits of working memory in brain injured patients.

The objective of the present study was to develop a scale designed to assess the consequences of working memory deficits in everyday life. The Working Memory Questionnaire (WMQ) is a self-administered scale, addressing three dimensions of working memory: short-term storage, attention, and executive control. The normative sample included 313 healthy participants. The patient group included 69 brain injured patients, who were compared to a subsample of 69 matched healthy controls. The questionnaire was found to have a good internal consistency, both in healthy participants and in patients with brain injury (Cronbach's alpha = .89 and .94, respectively). In healthy participants, significant effects of age (p < .0001) and education (p < .01) were found, due to more complaints in participants aged 60 or more and (unexpectedly) in those aged below 30, and for less educated participants, below high school level. The WMQ was found to have the sensitivity to discriminate patients from matched controls, in the three domains (p < .0001). A good concurrent validity was found with the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire and the Rating Scale of Attentional Behaviour (Spearman's Rho = .90 and .81, respectively, both ps < .0001). In addition, the total complaint score significantly correlated with neuropsychological measures of working memory (visual spans and short-term memory with interference) and with global intellectual efficiency (Raven's Matrices) but not with digit spans. Further studies are needed to measure the internal structure of the scale, and to compare self- and proxy-ratings.

Potential for recovery between 4 and 8 years after a severe traumatic brain injury. Data from the PariS-TBI longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of complex and persistent disability. Yet, long-term change in global functioning and determinants of this change remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess change in global functioning in the long-term after severe TBI and factors associated with the change. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of an inception cohort of adults with severe TBI in the Paris area (PariS-TBI). Outcome was assessed at 1, 4 and 8 years post-injury. For the included participants (n=257), change in global outcome between 4 and 8 years was evaluated with the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE) score, and its association with pre-injury, injury-related and post-injury variables was tested with univariate and multivariable analyses. RESULTS: More than half of the 73 participants evaluated at both 4 and 8 years showed global improvement (of at least one point) in GOSE score and an improvement in mood, executive function, and subjective complaints. On univariate analysis, none of the pre-injury, injury or post-injury variables were associated with GOSE score change between 4 and 8 years, except for GOSE score at 4 years (rho=-0.24, P=0.04). On multivariable analysis, probability of increased GOSE score was associated with more years of education (odds ratio 1.18 [95% confidence interval 1.02-1.37], P=0.03). The change in GOSE score was significantly correlated with change in Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale score between 4 and 8 years (rho=-0.42, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Most participants with severe TBI in the present sample showed a late improvement (4 to 8 years post-injury) in global functioning. Of the socio-demographic and injury-related factors, only more years of education was associated with improvement in global functioning. Decreased anxiety and depression symptoms were associated with improved global functioning. Targeting interventions to enhance resilience may be the most effective in the long-term after severe TBI.

Rehabilitation of the central executive of working memory after severe traumatic brain injury: two single-case studies.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: A deficit of the central executive of working memory is a frequent finding in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The objective of the present study was to assess the efficacy of a rehabilitation programme of the central executive after severe TBI. METHOD: An experimental single-case design was used in two patients with remote severe TBI suffering from an isolated central executive deficit. Outcome was assessed with specific working memory tests (spans, Brown Peterson, n-back), non-specific cognitive tasks requiring working memory (dual-task, arithmetic solving problem), an ecological questionnaire to assess generalization to everyday life and non-target tasks not requiring working memory, to assess the specificity of the therapy. RESULTS: Performance was stable on two baseline sessions before therapy. For both patients, an improvement was found for target measures, mainly for central executive tasks, and for the questionnaire on attention failures in everyday life. In opposition, no change was found for non-target measures. DISCUSSION: Improvement was not seemingly related to spontaneous recovery, nor to re-test effects. This study suggests that specific cognitive training may improve the central executive of working memory in patients with remote severe TBI.

A Detailed Overview of Long-Term Outcomes in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Eight Years Post-injury.

Background and aims: Severe traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of acquired persistent disabilities, and represents an important health and economic burden. However, the determinants of long-term outcome have rarely been systematically studied in a prospective longitudinal study of a homogeneous group of patients suffering exclusively from severe TBI Methods: Prospective observational study of an inception cohort of adult patients with severe traumatic brain injury in the Parisian area (PariS-TBI). Outcome was assessed with face-to-face interview 8 years after Traumatic Brain Injury, focusing on impairments, activity limitations, and participation restriction. Results: Five hundred and four patients were included between 2005 and 2007. At 8-year follow-up, 261 patients were deceased, 128 were lost to follow-up, 22 refused to participate, and 86 were finally evaluated. Age, gender, initial injury severity did not significantly differ between evaluated patients and lost to follow-up, but the latter were more frequently students or unemployed. Mean age was 41.9 (SD 13.6), 79% were male, median initial Glasgow Coma Scale Score was 6. The most frequent somatic complaints concerned balance (47.5%), motricity (31%), and headaches (36%), but these were less frequent than cognitive complaints (Memory 71%, Slowness 68%, Concentration 67%). According to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), 25 % had a score >8 for anxiety and 23.7% for depression. According to the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale, 19.8% remained severely disabled, 46.5% moderately disabled, 33.7% had a good recovery. Older age, longer education duration, lower functional status upon intensive care discharge, and more severe 8-year dysexecutive problems were significantly associated with a lower Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale score in multivariable analysis. At 8 years, 48.7% of patients were employed in a productive job. Of those, 38% declared a salary loss since traumatic brain injury. Unemployment was significantly associated with lower 1-year GOSE score and more severe 8-year dysexecutive problems. Conclusions: These results from an inception cohort study highlight the fact that long-term outcome after severe TBI is determined by a complex combination of injury-related, demographic and neuropsychological factors. Long after the injury, persisting impairments still interfere with social integration, and participation.