LEVEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND MEMORY DURING THE INTRACAROTID SODIUM AMOBARBITAL PROCEDURE

Controversy exists regarding differential effects on consciousness of left/right cerebral inactivation via intracarotid amobarbital. Further , the effects of level of consciousness (LOC) on memory during the int racarotid sodium amobarbital procedure (IAP) are unclear. A modified v ersion of the Glasgow coma Scale altered to avoid the confounding effe cts of aphasia was employed to assess LOC in 97 patients during the IA P. A greater impairment in LOC occurred with left cerebral inactivatio n. Memory was more impaired following left hemisphere injections as we ll as from injections contralateral to seizure focus. Memory was corre lated with LOC, and this effect was more prominent for right hemispher e injections and for injections ipsilateral to seizure focus. These fi ndings support differential cerebral roles in consciousness and demons trate that IAP memory performance may be affected by the patient's LOC . (C) 1997 Academic Press.