Recognition memory for words and faces following unilateral temporal lobectomy

The study tested the ability of the Warrington Recognition Memory Test (1984) to discriminate between patients with left and right temporal lobe lesions. Forty-seven patients who had undergone unilateral temporal lobectomy (TL) (23 right- and 24 left-sided operations) were tested on the two components of the test, recognition memory for words (RMW) and recognition memory for faces (RMF). The results show that the right TL group were significantly worse than the left TL group on RMF. Conversely, the left TL group were significantly worse on the RMW test, confirming earlier results relating to material-specific deficits in long-term memory following TL. The RMF test was relatively sensitive and specific in detecting significant impairments associated with right TL, but the RMW proved much less sensitive to the effects of left TL. RMW and RMF discrepancy scores were found not to discriminate well between the two groups of patients.