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A comparison of two fMRI methods for predicting verbal memory decline after left temporal lobectomy: language lateralization versus hippocampal activation asymmetry. Epilepsia 2010 Apr;51(4):618-26

Date

10/13/2009

Pubmed ID

19817807

Pubmed Central ID

PMC2945221

DOI

10.1111/j.1528-1167.2009.02340.x

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-77951658694 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   92 Citations

Abstract

PURPOSE: Language lateralization measured by preoperative functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was shown recently to be predictive of verbal memory outcome in patients undergoing left anterior temporal lobe (L-ATL) resection. The aim of this study was to determine whether language lateralization or functional lateralization in the hippocampus is a better predictor of outcome in this setting.

METHODS: Thirty L-ATL patients underwent preoperative language fMRI, preoperative hippocampal fMRI using a scene encoding task, and pre- and postoperative neuropsychological testing. A group of 37 right ATL (R-ATL) surgery patients was included for comparison.

RESULTS: Verbal memory decline occurred in roughly half of the L-ATL patients. Preoperative language lateralization was correlated with postoperative verbal memory change. Hippocampal activation asymmetry was strongly related to side of seizure focus and to Wada memory asymmetry but was unrelated to verbal memory outcome.

DISCUSSION: Preoperative hippocampal activation asymmetry elicited by a scene encoding task is not predictive of verbal memory outcome. Risk of verbal memory decline is likely to be related to lateralization of material-specific verbal memory networks, which are more closely correlated with language lateralization than with overall asymmetry of episodic memory processes.

Author List

Binder JR, Swanson SJ, Sabsevitz DS, Hammeke TA, Raghavan M, Mueller WM

Authors

Jeffrey R. Binder MD Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Wade M. Mueller MD Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Manoj Raghavan MD, PhD Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Sara J. Swanson PhD Chief, Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Anterior Temporal Lobectomy
Brain Mapping
Dominance, Cerebral
Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe
Female
Frontal Lobe
Hippocampus
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Nerve Net
Neuropsychological Tests
Postoperative Complications
Psychometrics
Temporal Lobe
Verbal Learning