Faculty Collaboration Database

Recognition and identification of famous faces in patients with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy. Neuropsychologia 2002;40(4):446-56

Date

10/31/2001

Pubmed ID

11684177

DOI

10.1016/s0028-3932(01)00096-3

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0036027769 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   92 Citations

Abstract

We examined the performance of 21 patients with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and hippocampal damage (10 lefts, and 11 rights) and 10 age-matched controls on the recognition and identification (name and occupation) of well-known faces. Famous face stimuli were selected from four time periods; 1970s, 1980s, 1990-1994, and 1995-1996. Differential patterns of performance were observed for the left and right TLE group across distinct face processing components. The left TLE group showed a selective impairment in naming famous faces while they performed similar to the controls in face recognition and semantic identification (i.e. occupation). In contrast, the right TLE group was impaired across all components of face memory; face recognition, semantic identification, and face naming. Face naming impairment in the left TLE group was characterized by a temporal gradient with better naming performance for famous faces from more distant time periods. Findings are discussed in terms of the role of the temporal lobe system for the acquisition, retention, and retrieval of face semantic networks, and the differential effects of lateralized temporal lobe lesions in this process.

Author List

Seidenberg M, Griffith R, Sabsevitz D, Moran M, Haltiner A, Bell B, Swanson S, Hammeke T, Hermann B

Author

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
Case-Control Studies
Dominance, Cerebral
Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe
Face
Female
Hippocampus
Humans
Male
Mental Recall
Middle Aged