Semantic Memory, Traumatic Brain Injury, and the Iceberg Effect: What Deficits May Lie Below the Surface?

Purpose: The purpose of this viewpoint was to advocate for increased study of semantic memory ability in traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Method: We review modern conceptualizations of semantic memory and its neural correlates and discuss how common neuroanatomical and cognitive deficits in TBI place this population at an increased risk for semantic disruption. Building on discussions at the 2024 International Cognitive-Communication Disorders Conference, we offer possible explanations for how these disruptions may have been overlooked by our field and offer examples of how semantic memory has been studied in other populations as well as how this work may apply to TBI research.

Result: Semantic memory is critical for academic, vocational, and interpersonal outcomes. Yet, little is known about semantic memory in TBI beyond naming ability. By examining only surface forms of semantic memory, we may be missing a deeper disruption in semantic structure.

Conclusion: More in-depth examination of semantic memory promises to uncover underlying mechanisms of cognitive-communication disorders and new opportunities to develop more sensitive clinical measures of semantic memory impairment.