Word retrieval deficits in adults with brain tumors

Abstract

The relationship between brain invaded by tumor and consequent word retrieval deficits was investigated. Performance scores from 10 individuals who underwent craniotomy for tumor resection were obtained using contexts of constrained naming, verbal fluency, and picture description during pre- and post-craniotomy. This study described qualitative and quantitative differences of impairment to elucidate the nature and extent of naming impairment in individuals with cerebral hemisphere tumors. For all tasks, independent of group, performance decrements were reported pre-operatively in relation to normative data, with subsequent post-operative decline. This was particularly true for the Left Hemisphere Group who exhibited poorer performance than the Right Hemisphere Group. It was expected that the Frontal Group would have greater difficulty on tasks requiring intact frontal lobe function (i.e. Verbal Fluency), but the Non-Frontal Group performed more poorly. Surprisingly, the Frontal Lobe Group showed the smallest decrement, and the Non-Frontal and Left Hemisphere Groups showed the worst performance overall. Pre- and post-operatively, all subjects exhibited greater word retrieval deficits than normal controls during verbal fluency tasks. The overall disruption of word retrieval across tasks was predictable for time of examination, but not for site of lesion. The results of this study suggest that the word retrieval deficits of brain tumor patients may differ from traditional aphasia profiles. This knowledge may contribute to a better understanding of language processing and production in tumor-related aphasia.