Abstract
IntroductionThe right prefrontal lobe has not traditionally been considered eloquent brain. Resection of tumours within this region does not typically lead to permanent functional impairment. In this report, we highlight the case of a patient who developed autobiographical memory loss following an uncomplicated resection of a right prefrontal tumour.Case materialA previously fit and well 15-year old presented with a persistent right-sided headache. An MRI demonstrated an expanded right mid-frontal gyrus with changes consistent with a low-grade tumour. The patient underwent a right-sided craniotomy and resection of the lesion which was confirmed as a WHO grade II diffuse astrocytoma. Postoperatively, the patient reported profound retrograde amnesia for a range of memory components, in particular autobiographical memory and semantic memory. Postoperative imaging showed a good resection margin with no evidence of underlying brain injury. Over an 18-month period, the patient showed no improvement in autobiographical memory; however, significant relearning of semantic knowledge took place and her academic performance was found to be in line with expectations for her age.ConclusionIn this report, we discuss a case and review the literature on the role of the right prefrontal cortex in memory and caution on the perception of right prefrontal non-eloquence.
Highlights
The right prefrontal lobe has not traditionally been considered eloquent brain
A review of the literature demonstrated several studies and case reports looking at the subject of memory and the right frontal lobe
The authors put the patient through a catalogue of cognitive tests and concluded that the patient’s high false recognition rate may be due to the loss of the right frontal lobe’s retrieval capacities which are vital for item recognition
Summary
The right prefrontal lobe has not traditionally been considered eloquent brain. Resection of tumours within this region does not typically lead to permanent functional impairment. VF’s case report demonstrates the dramatic disruption of episodic memory following the uncomplicated resection of a right-sided frontal lesion. Damage to the right prefrontal cortex is not commonly associated with significant memory impairment.
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