Use of the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) in neuropsychological evaluation of epilepsy surgery candidates

Many commonly used measures of figural reproduction have been found to be relatively insensitive to the effects of right temporal lobe dysfunction. More positive findings are present in studies using measures of figural learning over repeated trials. This study examined the use of a commercially available measure of figural learning in a sample of epilepsy patients undergoing presurgical neuropsychological testing. The Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) was administered to 47 subjects undergoing comprehensive presurgical workups with video and EEG monitoring. Groups with left (N = 25) and right (N = 22) temporal lobe seizures did not differ on BVMT-R measures of learning, delayed recall, or yes/no recognition. Approximately 29% of the sample exhibited "impaired" performance in comparison to published norms. The results of receiver operating curve analyses revealed little discrimination in performance between groups. The BVMT-R does not appear to have the sensitivity required for assessing nonverbal memory in this population.