J Korean Neurol Assoc.  1999 Jan;17(1):94-97.

Cut-off Value of Wada Memory Score in Verbal and Visual Memory Domain

• Lee HW
• Hong SB
• Kim GW
• Kang YW
• Seo DW
• Choi SJ
• Chung CS
• Lee WY
• Kim BJ
• Kwon HY
• Han HJ
• Hong SC

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The cut-off value which determine pass or fail in Wada memory test has not been thoroughly studied, especially in regard to modality-specific memory domains. To investigate the optimal cut-off value, we tried to know what value is appropriate to forecast good postoperative memory outcome in verbal and visual memory domains.
METHODS
Eighteen temporal lobe epilepsy patients underwent preoperative Wada test and pre- and postoperative neuropsychological evaluation. Corrected Wada memory score (cWMS) was calculated by ipsilateral Wada retention score divided by pre-Wada score. As a measure of postoperative memory outcome, neuropsycholgical asymmetry index (NPAI) was defined as [(postoperative memory score ? Preoperative memory score) / their mean] and analyzed in verbal and visual memory domains respectively. We made six arbitrary cut-off cWMS values (40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90%) and dichotomized the patients into pass or fail group at each arbitrary cut-off value. Verbal and visual NPAIs were compared statistically between two groups.
RESULTS
Verbal NPAIs were significantly different between pass and fail groups at 80% cut-off value (p=0.044). Visual NPAIs were significantly different between two groups at 50% (p=0.043) and 60% (p=0.003) cut-off values.
CONCLUSIONS
Higher cut-off values may be better for differentiating good and poor postoperative memory outcomes in verbal memory domain, and, in contrast, lower cut-off values may be better in visual memory domain. The verbal and visual memory in Wada test should be analyzed with different cut-off values.

Keyword

Wada test - Cut-off value; Wada Memory Score; Verbal memory; Visual memory

MeSH Terms

Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe
Humans
Memory*