Abstract: Objective To investigate the sustained attention and vigilance in patients with brain injury.Methods Twenty-seven patients with brain injury and 34 normal adults who were matched in age and years of education were tested with Continuous Performance Task(CPT) to assess sustained attention and vigilance.The variables included hit number(correct response number),omission number,commission number,and the average reaction time and the difference of reaction time between the first and the last stage.Results The hit number of the patients was much less than that of the control group(P<0.01).The omission number was significantly more than that in the control group(P<0.01),but the commission number did not significantly differ from the control group(P>0.05).The average reaction time and the difference between the reaction time of the first and last stages in patients increased significantly(P<0.01).Conclusion The sustained attention and vigilance are impaired in patients with brain injury.

Key words: brain injury, sustained attention and vigilance, Continuous Performance Task(CPT)