title: Role of executive functioning in verbal and visual memory.
abstract: G. Tremont, S. Halpert, D. J. Javorsky, and R. A. Stern (2000) found that individuals with executive dysfunction were more impaired on less structured versus more structured verbal memory tasks. In the present study, the authors investigated the relationship between executive functions and memory in patients with a history of traumatic brain injury by examining the effect of executive functioning on more structured and less structured verbal and visual memory tasks at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Matched subgroups controlled for differences in severity of neuropsychological impairment unrelated to specific executive functions. The G. Tremont et al. (2000) findings were not replicated. Results showed that when acuteness and severity of injury were controlled, executive impairment played no significant role in performance on either more or less structured memory tasks. However, regardless of structure, executive functions played a role in visual memory performance, suggesting that visual memory may be a more fluid ability than verbal memory.
authors.affiliation: James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
authors.forename: Robyn M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Busch
authors.forename: Jane E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McBride
authors.forename: Rodney D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Vanderploeg
authors.forename: Glenn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Curtiss
authors.forename: Jennifer J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Duchnick
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*