Semantic memory functioning and the left temporal lobe

The authors report further investigations of patient HA who suffered a head injury in a road traffic accident at the age of 21, which resulted in her left temporal and parietal lobe being largely replaced by cerebrospinal flu id. Despite this devastating lateralized brain damage acquired in adulthood , she presented with relatively normal neurological and neuropsychological functioning, including preservation of verbal memory, Further analysis of h er brain structure revealed a preserved strip of inferior and medial left t emporal cortex. The focus of the present investigation was to carry out add itional studies of HA's semantic memory functioning. Naming, category fluen cy, visual attribute, superordinate and subordinate knowledge were assessed , as well as both abstract and concrete comprehension, autobiographical mem ory and knowledge of semantic property information. The results indicate th at HA demonstrated relatively normal semantic memory functioning for a woma n of her age. It is proposed that the preserved strip of inferotemporal cor tex may account for this normative performance, providing further support f or the theoretical importance of this region in relation to semantic memory functioning.