Differential impairments in recalling people's names: a case study in search of neuroanatomical correlates.
The case of a patient with selective left hemispheric medial and lateral temporal lobe damage is described. The patient was of slightly supra-average intelligence and had no problems in normal memory functions, but was severely anomic with respect to people's names. One month post-onset, this deficit held for names of colleagues and friends she had gotten to know during the last 10 years prior to the infarct and for all names confronted with post-infarct. On the other hand, learning of face-name associations was preserved and was independent of the ability to generate context-specific information for the subjects whose names were requested. The results support the existence of category-specific naming impairments, and, moreover, indicate a deficit that has to be differentiated with regard to memory systems. A time-limited, but prolonged engagement of interconnected left medial and adjacent lateral temporal lobe structures in ecphory is stressed for context-restricted information such as proper names.
Reinkemeier
M
M
University of Bielefeld, Germany. mreinke@hrz.uni-bielefeld.de
Markowitsch
H J
HJ
Rauch
M
M
Kessler
J
J
D000849:Anomia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009275:Names; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*