Rey Osterrieth complex figure test spatial and figural scoring: Relations to seizure focus and hippocampal pathology in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

The purpose of the study was to compare figural and spatial memory in patients with left (LTLE, n = 56) and right (RTLE, n = 48) temporal lobe epilepsy using J.I. Breier and colleagues’ (J Int Neuropsychol Soc 1996;2:535–40) figural/spatial scoring method for the Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT). The study also examined the association between figural and spatial components of the RCFT, temporal lobe laterality, and hippocampal structure (MRI hippocampal volumes and neuropathology ratings). Neither immediate or delayed trial figural and spatial memory scores were associated with seizure laterality or hippocampal pathology ratings. Immediate and delayed recall scores were not associated with right hippocampal volume. However, modestly positive correlations were found between left hippocampal volume and RCFT delayed recall scores. Similar to recent work (A.C. Kneebone et al., J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2007;13:664–71), stronger associations were related to left temporal lobe function. This study provides further evidence for the lack of sensitivity of the RCFT as a surrogate measure of right temporal lobe memory function.