Neuropsychological studies of blacks with cerebrovascular disorders: a preliminary investigation

Very few studies have been conducted that examine brain behavior functions in blacks and other ethnic minorities. Recognizing that measures of higher cortical functions have cultural, experiential, and organic determinants, the present investigation was designed to ascertain whether findings reported in neuropsychologic studies of white patients with lateralized cerebral lesions are applicable to groups of black patients with lesions in similar locations. Thirty-seven patients with left (n = 15) and right (n = 22) cerebrovascular lesions were administered the Michigan Neuropsychological Battery (MNB). This battery is comprised of a number of objective standardized measures of higher and lower-level cerebral functions. With one exception, the performance of patients in the brain-injured groups was not systematically different on tests of higher brain functions. As expected, tests of lower-level somatosensory and motor functions showed a pattern of greater impairment on the side of the body contralateral to the lesion. But, in contrast to neuropsychological studies of white patients, a pattern of laterality specific deficits on verbal IQ and performance IQ was not observed. Methodological and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.