Is the Right Amygdala Involved in Visuospatial Memory? Evidence from MRI Volumetric Measures

Abstract

Quantitative MRI measurement of hippocampal sclerosis in patients suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) have, as yet, failed to evidence any correlation between the right hippocampus and visuospatial memory. In this report, word learning and design learning tasks were carried out as well as MRI volumetric measurements of the hippocampus and amygdala in order to verify possible modality-specific correlations between function and structure. Delayed recall indices in our memory tasks provided significant results. Visuoverbal ratios differed between right and left TLE groups, as did laterality indices of hippocampal and amygdalar volumes. Furthermore, correlations were found between the left hippocampal volume and verbal memory, and between the right amygdala and visuospatial memory. We suggest that the difficulty encountered in establishing a correlation between right temporal structures and visuospatial memory could come both from the type of test employed and the structures considered.

The Neuropsychiatry and Neuropsychology Of Lipoid Proteinosis

“…In this study, results on selective declarative memory tests including learning of lists (often associated with left hippocampal function) and visuospatial recall tasks (sometimes linked to left amygdala function) 133 were significantly poorer on subjects with LiP when compared to controls. There were also highly significant impaired results on the Hooper Visual Organization Test, normally done to assess for right parietal damage.…”

“…With epilepsy surgery, there was an explosion of surgical excisions of the hippocampus along with the amygdala and hippocampal gyrus 64 , and a deluge of literature outlining the neuropsychological consequences of unilateral temporal lobectomies. In epilepsy studies, a correlation between the right amygdala volume and visuospatial memory has been suggested 133 .…”

The use of neuroimaging to study behavior in patients with epilepsy

“…The association between right hippocampal volumes and nonverbal learning and memory is tenuous, but has been reported in a few studies (7,10,11). In addition, there are data to support the role of other medial temporal lobe structures in verbal and visual memory, including the amygdala (8,12), mammillary bodies (8), and perirhinal cortex (9,13). In fact, there is some evidence that right amygdala volume is a stronger predictor of visual memory than right hippocampal volume (8,12).…”

“…In addition, there are data to support the role of other medial temporal lobe structures in verbal and visual memory, including the amygdala (8,12), mammillary bodies (8), and perirhinal cortex (9,13). In fact, there is some evidence that right amygdala volume is a stronger predictor of visual memory than right hippocampal volume (8,12). Undoubtedly, volumetric MRI has been important in validating the role of the hippocampus and other medial temporal lobe structures in learning and memory, and in determining which patients are at greatest risk for memory decline following temporal lobectomy.…”

Relationship of temporal lobe volumes to neuropsychological test performance in healthy children

“…Studies involving individuals with temporal lobe damage have implicated the temporal lobes in auditory sensation and perception; selective attention for auditory and visual stimuli; visual perception; organization and categorization of verbal material; language comprehension; long-term memory; personality and affective behavior; and, sexual behavior (Kolb & Wishaw, 1990). Volumetric MRI studies with temporal lobe epilepsy patients have been successful in documenting a correlation between hippocampal volume and verbal memory performance (e.g., Pegna et al, 2002;Reminger et al, 2004) and amygdalar volumes have been correlated with visuospatial memory (e.g., Pegna et al, 2002).…”