title: VL: a further case of erroneous recollection.
abstract: We report a single-case study of a female patient (VL) who exhibited frequent episodes of erroneous recollections triggered by everyday events. Based on neuropsychological testing, VL was classified as suffering from mild to moderate dementia (MMSE=18) and was given a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer׳s disease. Her memory functions were uniformly impaired but her verbal abilities were generally well preserved. A structural MRI scan showed extensive areas of gray matter atrophy particularly in frontal and medial-temporal (MTL) areas. Results of experimental recognition tests showed that VL had very high false alarm rates on tests using pictures, faces and auditory stimuli, but lower false alarm rates on verbal tests. We provide a speculative account of her erroneous recollections in terms of her MTL and frontal pathology. In outline, we suggest that owing to binding failures in MTL regions, VL׳s recognition processes were forced to rely on earlier than normal stages of analysis. Environmental features on a given recognition trial may have combined with fragments persisting from previous trials resulting in erroneous feelings of familiarity and of recollection that were not discounted or edited out, due to her impaired frontal processes.
authors.affiliation: Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada M6A 2E1; University of Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: fcraik@research.baycrest.org.
authors.forename: Fergus I M
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Craik
authors.affiliation: Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada M6A 2E1; University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Morgan D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Barense
authors.affiliation: Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada M6A 2E1; Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Clare J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Rathbone
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Joan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Grusec
authors.affiliation: Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada M6A 2E1; University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Donald T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Stuss
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Fuqiang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Christopher J M
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada M6A 2E1; University of Toronto, ON, Canada; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Sandra E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Black
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology
keywords: Confabulation; Dementia; Déjà vu; Familiarity; Pathological recollection; Structural MRI