Objectives: Comparison of preoperative and postoperative neurological functions in patients undergoing resection of brain tumors, in combination with data from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies, can provide direct evidence of anatomical localization of brain function. The goal of the present study was to use these techniques to characterize memory function of the right temporal lobe in five patients with right temporal lobe brain tumors.
Methods: Memory function was tested using the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) before and after surgery in five patients with right temporal lobe brain tumors. Preoperative DTI was performed in four of five cases.
Results: In all cases, general and verbal memory, including verbal paired association, significantly improved after surgery (P<0.05). The right inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) was compressed by the tumor in all cases.
Conclusion: These results suggest that the right temporal lobe plays a role in verbal memory and that this function may be associated with the right ILF.