Memory Complaints Before and After Temporal Lobectomy: Do They Predict Memory Performance or Lesion Laterality?

Abstract

Summary: The relationships among self-report of memory, actual memory performance on objective tasks, and lesion laterality were examined in this longitudinal study. Right-handed adults (n = 47) with medically intractable seizures were assessed both preoperatively and 1 year after a left or right temporal lobectomy. Memory complaints remained stable or diminished postoperatively, whereas performance on material-specific memory tasks declined. Regression analyses showed that dosage of medications, seizure frequency and self-reported depression were predictive of postoperative memory complaints, although size of resection and age were not. Together, these data suggest that many patients have a positive though mistaken impression that their memory functions improved after temporal lobectomy, an impression influenced by their positive surgical outcomes. Memory complaints did not predict laterality of the lesion. Sex-laterality interactions were evident for both subjective and objective memory measures.