Neuroimaging and lesion studies have demonstrated
that hippocampal volume correlates with memory performance,
but material-specific lateralization of this structure-function
relationship has been inconsistent. This MRI study examined
the relative contributions of left and right temporal lobe
volumes to verbal and nonverbal recognition memory in a
group of 20 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. There
was a significant relationship between extent of right
hippocampal and right temporal gray matter tissue volume
deficit and performance on the face recognition subtest
of the Warrington Recognition Memory Test. The face recognition
test correlated with right hemisphere volume but not to
left, indicating a material-specific relationship between
brain structure and function in this patient group. Right
temporal horn volume did not account for a significant
proportion of variance in face recognition memory. Although
word recognition was not significantly correlated with
either left or right hippocampal volume in the total group,
there was a strong correlation between left hippocampal
volume and word recognition memory in the female AD patients.
Thus, face recognition shows a material specific relationship
with select lateralized hippocampal and temporal cortical
volumes in AD patients, regardless of gender, whereas the
verbal recognition–left-hippocampal volume relationship
may be mediated by gender. (JINS, 1998, 4,
106–114.)
Eye contact effects on social preference and face recognition in normal ageing and in Alzheimer’s disease