Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry logoLink to Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
. 1993 Feb;56(2):135–140. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.56.2.135

Short-term cognitive changes after unilateral temporal lobectomy or unilateral amygdalo-hippocampectomy for the relief of temporal lobe epilepsy.

L H Goldstein 1, C E Polkey 1
PMCID: PMC1014810  PMID: 8437000

Abstract

Forty two patients who had unilateral temporal lobe surgery (either temporal lobectomy or amygdalo-hippocampectomy) were evaluated using a selection of cognitive tests before and soon after surgery, to examine whether the amygdalo-hippocampectomy produces less cognitive impairment than the standard en bloc resection. On specific indices of cognitive functioning an amygdalo-hippocampectomy rather than a temporal lobectomy, undertaken on the temporal lobe thought to mediate that particular function, produced less impairment, in terms of change in cognitive function resulting from the operation. An amygdalo-hippocampectomy carried out on the temporal lobe not thought to mediate such skills, however, resulted in less improvement or more deterioration in these functions than a temporal lobectomy, except in the case of delayed prose recall, where a right amygdalo-hippocampectomy led to more improvement than a right temporal lobectomy. Overall there were few scores which distinguished between the different surgical procedures for cognitive outcome.

Full text

PDF
135

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Canavan A. G., Passingham R. E., Marsden C. D., Quinn N., Wyke M., Polkey C. E. Sequence ability in parkinsonians, patients with frontal lobe lesions and patients who have undergone unilateral temporal lobectomies. Neuropsychologia. 1989;27(6):787–798. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(89)90003-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Frisk V., Milner B. The relationship of working memory to the immediate recall of stories following unilateral temporal or frontal lobectomy. Neuropsychologia. 1990;28(2):121–135. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(90)90095-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Goldstein L. H., Canavan A. G., Polkey C. E. Cognitive mapping after unilateral temporal lobectomy. Neuropsychologia. 1989;27(2):167–177. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(89)90169-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Goldstein L. H., Canavan A. G., Polkey C. E. Verbal and abstract designs paired associate learning after unilateral temporal lobectomy. Cortex. 1988 Mar;24(1):41–52. doi: 10.1016/s0010-9452(88)80016-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. KIMURA D. Right temporal-lobe damage. Perception of unfamiliar stimuli after damage. Arch Neurol. 1963 Mar;8:264–271. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1963.00460030048004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. McMillan T. M., Powell G. E., Janota I., Polkey C. E. Relationships between neuropathology and cognitive functioning in temporal lobectomy patients. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1987 Feb;50(2):167–176. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.50.2.167. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Milner B. Disorders of learning and memory after temporal lobe lesions in man. Clin Neurosurg. 1972;19:421–446. doi: 10.1093/neurosurgery/19.cn_suppl_1.421. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Polkey C. E., Binnie C. D., Janota I. Acute hippocampal recording and pathology at temporal lobe resection and amygdalo-hippocampectomy for epilepsy. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1989 Sep;52(9):1050–1057. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.52.9.1050. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Powell G. E., Polkey C. E., McMillan T. The new Maudsley series of temporal lobectomy. I: Short-term cognitive effects. Br J Clin Psychol. 1985 May;24(Pt 2):109–124. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1985.tb01321.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Powell G. E. The relationship between intelligence and verbal and spatial memory. J Clin Psychol. 1979 Apr;35(2):335–340. doi: 10.1002/1097-4679(197904)35:2<335::aid-jclp2270350223>3.0.co;2-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. SCOVILLE W. B., MILNER B. Loss of recent memory after bilateral hippocampal lesions. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1957 Feb;20(1):11–21. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.20.1.11. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Wieser H. G. Selective amygdalo-hippocampectomy for temporal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsia. 1988;29 (Suppl 2):S100–S113. doi: 10.1111/j.1528-1157.1988.tb05793.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Wieser H. G. Selective amygdalohippocampectomy: indications, investigative technique and results. Adv Tech Stand Neurosurg. 1986;13:39–133. doi: 10.1007/978-3-7091-7010-6_2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Wieser H. G., Yaşargil M. G. Selective amygdalohippocampectomy as a surgical treatment of mesiobasal limbic epilepsy. Surg Neurol. 1982 Jun;17(6):445–457. doi: 10.1016/s0090-3019(82)80016-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES