Abstracts

RATIONALE: Functional adequacy predicts an inverse relationship between baseline memory scores and risk of postoperative memory loss, at least for verbal memory. We examined the association between baseline memory scores and postoperative memory changes using the Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III) with particular attention given to the new visual memory subtests: Faces and Family Pictures (FP). METHODS: Using regression analyses, standardized deviations from expected retest levels were studied for immediate and delayed Auditory Memory (AM) and Visual Memory (VM) scores among 28 right (RTL) and 24 left (LTL) temporal lobectomy patients who were comparable in age, education, sex, handedness, age of seizure onset, baseline IQ and test-retest interval; all were left speech dominant. RESULTS: As has been previously demonstrated, LTL patients with high baseline verbal memory scores showed the greatest decrements in immediate AM (R=.59), and side of surgery alone predicted decrements in delayed AM (R=.37). In contrast, side of surgery was not a factor in predicting decrements in immediate VM, although baseline VM was inversely related to postsurgical changes (r= -.33). When considered at the subtest level, baseline FP was a significant inverse predictor of immediate VM losses (r= -.29), with the Action component being the primary predictor of postoperative changes in VM (r= -.42). For delayed VM, a higher baseline Action component on FP relative to the number of Characters identified predicted greater postoperative VM decrements (R=.47). CONCLUSIONS: Significant inverse relationships were observed between baseline performance and postoperative decrements in both WMS-III Auditory and Visual Memory scores. While the Location and Character components of FP were not significant predictors of VM outcome, the Action component of FP was moderately related to VM losses among both RTL and LTL patients.