Left temporal lobe controls proper noun memory

Reuters News

If you're having a tough time remembering people's names, blame your rostral (front) left temporal lobe, say researchers who found evidence that this area of the brain is crucial for processing proper names.

Researchers at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, report on a patient who had surgery to remove a portion of his left temporal lobe to bring his seizures under control.

After the surgery, the man -- a 47-year-old carpenter -- could no longer recall the names of his wife, his doctor, friends, or the hospital where he was staying. Yet he had no trouble remembering names of common items such as words for different fruits, vegetables, or animals.

He was also unable to memorize new names, yet he could identify pictures of people he knew without a problem, and describe them accurately.

"Our data provide evidence that damage to the rostral part of the left temporal lobe contributes to a deficit in processing proper names with minimal involvement of other verbal functions," Dr. Reiko Fukatsu and colleagues explain. Their case report is published in the March 23rd issue of the journal Neurology.

SOURCE: Neurology 1999;52:1096-1099.