L-G Nilsson

Speechreading performance evaluated by means of TV and real-life presentation. A comparison between a normally hearing, moderately and profoundly hearing-impaired group.

The present study investigated speechreading performance as a function of TV versus real-life presentation. List length and type of material was also manipulated as well as degree of hearing handicap: normally hearing subjects, moderately impaired subjects and profoundly hearing-impaired subjects. The results showed that type of group and presentation medium interact. The impaired groups perform worst on 4-item lists with TV presentation, while a real life presentation facilitates performance of those groups relative to the normal group. The groups were, on a post hoc basis, divided into one superior and one inferior subgroup. The results of this analysis showed that this skill factor interacts in several ways with type of medium for presentation and type of material, the 4-item list provoking a larger number of interactions than the longer 7-item lists. Hence, it was concluded that the memory factor imposed by longer lists and the skill factor constitute two basic factors that must be taken into account in the evaluation and training of speechreading performance.

Subarachnoid blood on CT and memory dysfunctions in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

Ninety patients with a previous subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) were given a set of memory tests comprising immediate free recall of words (indexing long‐term memory, LTM, and short‐term memory, STM), final free recall of words (indexing LTM), final cued recall of words (indexing LTM), and a digit span test (indexing working memory, WM). Patients with a large amount of blood on CT, carried out within 72 h of the bleed, showed LTM as well as STM dysfunction, whereas patients with a small amount of subarachnoid blood evidenced only STM dysfunction. Patients with the ruptured aneurysm located on the anterior cerebral artery, however, constituted an exception with dysfunction of both LTM and STM together with intact WM, independent of the amount of subarachnoid blood. Also, patients with internal carotid artery or middle cerebral artery aneurysms and large volume SAH displayed LTM dysfunction, but differed concerning STM, the former showing intact STM and the latter showing STM dysfunction. Thus, it appears, that the combined information from factors such as the amount of subarachnoid blood and the location of the ruptured aneurysm is of vital importance for explaining the different patterns of memory dysfunctions after SAH.

Hearing Deficiency, Speechreading and Memory Functions

Twelve deaf and 12 normally hearing subjects participated in the present study. The deaf subjects, who had acquired their handicap as adults, exhibited superior recall performance for recency items (short-term memory items) of a list of visually presented words compared to the normal group. Current models of memory and modality effects were unable to handle both recall and output order data. Instead it was argued that the notion of visual skills, being supportive of remembering (see Rönnberg, 1980) had the largest explanatory power. Speechreading did not differ between groups, but interesting correlations between type of speechreading test, skill in speechreading and memory performance was discussed.

Visual half‐field testing of memory functions in patients considered for surgical treatment of intractable complex partial epilepsy

The present research employed the visual half‐field (VHF) technique to assess memory functions in normal subjects and in patients with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy prior to surgery. Two studies were conducted. In Study 1, concrete and abstract words were presented to the left (LVF) or the right visual half field (RVF), and measures were made of response latencies, naming, free recall, and recognition. In Study 2, pictures depicting random shapes with low verbal association values were presented, and measures were made of latencies for identification and recognition of the shapes. Overall, the results showed a RVF advantage for words, but no lateralization for shapes. A selective hemisphere memory deficit was obtained for abstract words in patients with left temporal lobe lesions. Otherwise, no obvious lesion‐related differences were found in the preoperative analyses. It is concluded that VHF testing of verbal information, but not abstract visuo‐spatial information, is discriminative in assessing hemispheric functions in normal subjects and patients with temporal‐lobe epileptic lesions.