Remote memory in temporal lobe epilepsy.
OBJECTIVE
The present study aims at characterizing remote memory in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE); it also considers the impact of its most important variables (lateralization of the lesion, duration of epilepsy, age at onset, and seizure frequency) on remote memory.


METHODS
We examined the performance of 38 patients with unilateral TLE (19 right TLE and 19 left TLE) and 35 healthy subjects on six remote memory tasks. Memory for personal events was assessed by using the Autobiographical Memory Interview and the Modified Crovitz Test. Memory for public events was evaluated by means of photographs of famous faces and famous scenes, questions about famous events, and the Dead/Alive Test.


RESULTS
Both right-TLE and left-TLE groups had impaired memory for autobiographic episodes and public events relative to normal subjects. In contrast, personal semantic memory was preserved. In addition, an effect of laterality was recorded, with right-TLE patients obtaining significantly better scores than left-TLE patients on every test. Duration of epilepsy, age at onset, and seizure frequency did not influence performance on remote memory measures.


CONCLUSIONS
The comprehensive neuropsychological study of 38 TLE patients showed that this neurologic condition affects remote memory systems differently. We discuss the different factors that could account for this pattern of performance on the bases of both functional brain organization and memory theories.
Voltzenlogel
Virginie
V
Neuropsychology Unit, UPS 858 CNRS and University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, and Department of Neurology, Hôpital Central, Nancy, France.
Després
Olivier
O
Vignal
Jean-Pierre
JP
Steinhoff
Bernhard J
BJ
Kehrli
Pierre
P
Manning
Lilianne
L
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012660:Semantics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors