Confabulation and frontal lobe dysfunction.

A patient is reported who displayed marked confabulation after frontal lobe damage, and whose pattern of performance on memory tests was not typically amnesic. He initially displayed both "fantastic" and "momentary" confabulation, but several months later showed only "momentary" confabulation, which was apparent on direct questioning. This change in type of confabulation was paralleled by improved performance on frontal lobe tests, although his overall pattern of performance on memory tests was unchanged. It is suggested that severity of frontal lobe dysfunction determines the type of confabulation displayed.