Abstract
The Continuous Visual Memory Test (CVMT) was hypothesized to measure nondominant temporal lobe dysfunction in patients with refractory complex-partial epilepsy. Thirty-seven temporal lobectomy candidates, of whom 20 had a right temporal seizure focus (RT) and 17 had a left temporal seizure focus (LT), were selected for study. Contrary to the hypothesis, initial results indicated that the LT group performed below the RT group for both the CVMT Total score and the Delayed Recognition score; however, group differences disappeared after accounting for Full Scale IQ scores. Both CVMT scores correlated positively and significantly with Full Scale IQ, Block Design, and the Meier Visual Discrimination Test, suggesting that overall cognitive functioning and visual-perceptual processing are positively related to CVMT performance. These results are consistent with other recent findings which suggest that extent nonverbal memory tests may be inadequate in lateralizing nondominant hemisphere lesions in complex-partial epilepsy.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 747-754 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1996 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Recent reports in the literature, however, call for a reexamination of the utility of nonverbal memory tests in assessing laterality of temporal * This research was supported in part by a grant from the National Institute for Mental Health (MH-17069). This article is based on data presented at the 1995 Meeting of the Midwest Neuropsychology Group, St. Paul, Minnesota. Address correspondence to: Beth Snitz, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Elliott Hall, 75 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA. Accepted for publication: March 22, 1996.