The aim of this study was to comprehensively examine neuropsychiatric symptoms among electrical injury (EI) patients with abnormal and normal brain MRI findings.

Patients were retrospectively identified from archival records of consecutive adult EI patients referred for outpatient neuropsychological evaluation from 2002-2017, and 34 patients were included. Outcome variables were the higher-order (H-O) and restructured clinical (RC) scales on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructued Form (MMPI-2-RF), a broad objective measure of personality and psychopathology. MMPI-2-RF scores were compared between the patients with abnormal and normal MRI findings.

The sample consisted of 6 females/28 males with a mean age of 45.4 (SD=10.3); 14/34 (41%) had abnormal brain MRI findings, whereas 20/34 (59%) had a normal study. Abnormal findings were primarily white matter hyperintensities, predominantly in the periventricular and subcortical regions. Overall, EI patients demonstrated elevated emotional distress (EID M=61.0, SD=13.0), primarily driven by Somatic Complaints (RC1; M=76.3, SD=12.7),  Low Positive Emotions (RC2; M = 68.8, SD = 13.4), and demoralization (RCd; M=62.8; SD=10.3); however, there were no significant differences between those with/without abnormal MRI imaging findings across any of the MMPI-2-RF H-O or RC scales t(32)_s=-1.52-1.17; p_s=.12-.88; d_s=.01-.53).

While these data complement the existing literature by demonstrating neuropsychiatric sequalae associated with EI as measured by the MMPI-2-RF, these changes did not correlate with abnormalities demonstrated on structural neuroimaging. Therefore, a normal MRI following EI does not necessarily exclude the presence of neuropsychiatric complications.