Prefrontal cortex involvement in the event-based prospective memory: Evidence from patients with lesions in the prefrontal cortex

Abstract

Primary objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the event-based prospective memory (EBPM) and time-based prospective memory (TBPM) in patients with lesion in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and test the hypothesis that the prefrontal cortex is involved in the prospective memory (PM) network.

Research design: The performance of patients with lesion in PFC (n= 30) was compared with that of a demographically matched control group (n= 30).

Methods and procedures: A neuropsychological battery of tests including EBPM and TBPM tasks were administered to both groups.

Main outcome and results: The group with lesion in PFC were significantly impaired in EBPM, but insignificantly impaired in TBPM tasks. There was no difference in performance of EBPM and TBPM tasks between the patients with lesion in the left and the right PFC.

Conclusions: These results suggest that the patients with lesion in PFC were impaired in EBPM, but not in TBPM, implying that EBPM and TBPM may have different neural substrates. It is possible that PFC is more selectively involved in EBPM, but less in TBPM.

• Prospective memory
• prefrontal cortex
• neural substrate
• neuropsychology