Testing conclusions from functional imaging of working memory with data from acute stroke

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Philipose, Lisa E. | Alphs, Hannah | Prabhakaran, Vivek^; | Hillis, Argye E.^{; ;}

Affiliations: Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA | Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA | Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA | Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

Note: [] Address for correspondence: Argye E. Hillis, MD, MA, Associate Professor of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Phipps 126, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. Tel.: +1 410 614 2381; Fax: +1 410 614 9807; E-mail: argye@JHMI.edu

Abstract: Functional imaging studies indicate that the left hemisphere mediates verbal working memory, while the right hemisphere mediates both verbal and spatial working memory. We evaluated acute stroke patients with working memory tests and imaging to identify whether unilateral dysfunction causes deficits in spatial and/or verbal working memory deficits. While left cortical stroke patients had verbal working memory impairments (p<0.003), right cortical stroke patients had both verbal p<0.007) and spatial working memory (p<0.03) impairments, confirming functional imaging results. Patients with transient ischemic stroke and patients with non-cortical stroke did not have significant deficits in working memory in either modality.

Keywords: Working memory, acute stroke, magnetic resonance perfusion-weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging

Journal: Behavioural Neurology, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 37-43, 2007