Material specificity of memory deficits in children with temporal tumors and seizures: A case series

Lindsay Whitman, Elyssa A. Scharaga, Karen Blackmon, Jennifer Wiener, Heidi Allison Bender, Howard L. Weiner, William S. MacAllister

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In adults, left temporal lobe pathology is typically associated with verbal memory deficits, whereas right temporal lobe pathology is thought to produce visual memory deficits in right-handed individuals. However, in children and adolescents with temporal lobe pathology, conclusions regarding material specificity of memory deficits remain unclear. The goal of the present case series is to examine the profile of verbal and visual memory impairment in children with temporal lobe tumors. Three patients with identified right temporal tumors and three patients with left temporal tumors are included. The Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning-Second Edition (WRAML-2) was administered as part of a larger neuropsychological battery. As anticipated, participants with right temporal lesions showed impaired visual memory relative to intact verbal memory. Interestingly, although the discrepancies between verbal and visual indices were less extreme, those with left temporal lesions showed a similar memory profile. These seemingly counterintuitive findings among left temporal tumor patients likely reflect less hemispheric specialization in children in comparison to adults and the fact that early developmental lesions in the left hemisphere may lead to functional reorganization of language-based skills.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)335-344
Number of pages10
JournalApplied Neuropsychology: Child
Volume6
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Oct 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Epilepsy
  • memory
  • seizures
  • temporal lobe

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