Patterns of memory dysfunction among children surviving temporal lobe tumors.

We compared the cognitive functioning of seven children with left and seven children with right temporal lobe tumors one year or more following completion of medical intervention (surgical resection + radiation therapy). No differences were found between the two groups with respect to verbal IQ, performance IQ.full scale IQ, verbal minus performance IQ, or verbal comprehension, perceptual organization, or freedom from distractability factor scores. After adjusting memory test results for variance attributable to general intelligence, three children with left and four children with right temporal tumors exhibited specific auditory-verbal memory dysfunction; five of these children had concurrent visual-verbal memory dysfunction. Children receiving radiation therapy to the tumor were at significantly greater risk for verbal memory problems. Reading and spelling achievement were significantly correlated with verbal memory performance. Inconsistent association between cerebral hemisphere of tumor and type of cognitive deficit may be related to the relatively slow progression of the tumor and regional interventions such as radiation therapy. Nevertheless, the results of the present report suggest that the majority of children diagnosed with temporal lobe tumors are at increased risk for memory dysfunction and academic failure.