Are the rhythm tests of the Halstead-Reitan and Luria-Nebraska batteries differentially sensitive to right temporal...

Contemporary manuals on neuropsychological assessment advocate the interpretation of deficits in rhythm test performance as related to right temporal lobe dysfunction. There have been very few empirical tests of this interpretation. Despite the fact that there are theoretical reasons to suspect that the right temporal lobe is involved in the processing of nonverbal auditory information, there are absolutely no concurrent validity data that support this hypothesized relationship for either of the rhythm tests of the Halstead-Reitan or Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Batteries. Therefore, clinicians are cautioned with regard to this popular interpretation of rhythm test performance deficits.