Spatial memory following temporal lobe resection

The present study sought a clearer understanding of spatial memory function consequent to temporal lobe resection, and, in particular, of spatial memory function with respect to two- as well as three-dimensional frames of reference. Relative to a group of 15 control participants, a group of 15 epilepsy patients with right temporal resections demonstrated deficits of memory for locations in a two-dimensional display. A group of 13 epilepsy patients with left temporal resections did not demonstrate such deficits. The right and the left resection groups both demonstrated deficits of memory for item-location relationships in a two-dimensional display. The right but not the left resection group demonstrated deficits of memory for item-location relationships in a three-dimensional display. The differing results that were observed for item-location relationships in two- and three-dimensional displays were attributed to differences in the way item information is bound with location information concerning two- and three-dimensional domains.