Profiles of patients with left prefrontal and left temporal lobe lesions after cerebrovascular infarcations on...

We compared memory disorders of three patient groups suffering from brain lesions with a word list corresponding to the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLTgcor). Dependent measures were learning rate and efficiency, retention, and strategic control of the learning process. Compared to a control group of patients with right hemispheric lesions, a left Arteria cerebri posterior (LACP) group showed general memory deficits, an inflated recency effect, and increased serial clustering. A left prefrontal cortex (LPFC) group documented slowed learning and increased recall after semantic cues. Discriminant analysis correctly classified 86.11% of the patients. It is argued that (a) the CVLT helps to cover differences in memory disorders recently discussed in cognitive neuropsychology; (b) differences between PFC and ACP patients become evident only if strategic aspects of learning and increased recall after semantic cueing are taken into account. The results are discussed within the framework of recent cognitive neuropsychological findings and with a distinction between fronto-subcortical and cortical memory disorders.