Abstract
Objective: It is commonly thought that memory deficits in frontal patients are a result of impairments in executive functions which impact upon storage and retrieval processes. Yet, few studies have specifically examined the relationship between memory performance and executive functions in frontal patients. Furthermore, the contribution of more general cognitive processes such as fluid intelligence and demographic factors such as age, education, and premorbid intelligence has not been considered.Method: Our study examined the relationship between recall and recognition memory and performance on measures of fluid intelligence, executive functions and premorbid intelligence in 39 frontal patients and 46 healthy controls.Results: Recall memory impairments in frontal patients were strongly correlated with fluid intelligence, executive functions and premorbid intelligence. These factors were all found to be independent predictors of recall performance, with fluid intelligence being the strongest predictor. In contrast, recognition memory impairments were not related to any of these factors. Furthermore, age and education were not significantly correlated with either recall or recognition memory measures.Conclusion: Our findings show that recall memory in frontal patients was related to fluid intelligence, executive functions and premorbid intelligence. In contrast, recognition memory was not. These findings suggest that recall and recognition memory deficits following frontal injury arise from separable cognitive factors. Recognition memory tests may be more useful when assessing memory functions in frontal patients.
Highlights
It is well-documented that frontal lobe lesions can result in memory difficulties (Wheeler et al, 1995; Kopelman, 2002)
The difference between patients and healthy controls (HCs) remained significant when we co-varied for fluid intelligence (Verbal fluency: p < 0.001; Stroop Color Word test: p = 0.02)
The difference between left and right frontal patients remained significant when we co-varied for fluid intelligence (Verbal fluency: p = 0.021; Stroop Color Word test: p = 0.002)
Summary
It is well-documented that frontal lobe lesions can result in memory difficulties (Wheeler et al, 1995; Kopelman, 2002). Memory performance in a large cohort of frontal patients was assessed using the Doors and People battery (Baddeley et al, 1994) which consists of verbal and visual recall and recognition tasks thought to be comparable in terms of difficulty (MacPherson et al, 2016). Frontal patients were found to be significantly impaired on both recall and recognition memory tasks compared to healthy controls. In line with the pattern of deficits found in an earlier meta-analysis (Wheeler et al, 1995), the effect sizes were greater for recall compared with recognition memory impairment, suggesting that recall memory is more affected following frontal lobe damage
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