Executive dysfunction associated with stroke in the posterior cerebral artery territory

Abstract Cognitive decline following posterior cerebral artery infarction (PCAI) is associated with lesions in the occipital lobe that extend into the parahippocampus or the splenium. We investigated patterns of neuropsychological deficits, including those causing executive dysfunction, associated with isolated lesions of the occipital lobe and with extensive lesions of the occipital lobe that extended into the splenium or the posterior ventral temporal lobes including the parahippocampus and fusiform gyrus. Eleven patients with unilateral PCAI involving the cerebral cortex and one patient with an occipital hemorrhage were selected for inclusion in this study. The mean age of the patients was 68.50 ± 7.94 years and their mean level of education was 8.58 ± 4.12 years. Four patients had isolated occipital lobe lesions and eight had lesions in either the splenium or the posterior ventral temporal lobe in addition to the occipital lobe. Whereas three of four patients with isolated occipital lobe lesions had left-sided lesions, only three of the eight patients with extended occipital lesions had left-sided lesions. The patients underwent a standardized battery of neuropsychological tests. The patients with occipital injuries in addition to splenial or posterior ventral temporal lobe injuries demonstrated performance decline across diverse cognitive domains, including memory (eight of eight), visuospatial function (eight of eight), executive function (seven of eight), language-related function (four of eight) and attention (one of eight). In contrast, memory impairment (three of four patients) was the only area in which patients with isolated occipital lobe lesions demonstrated decline in performance. Our findings suggest that strokes in the territory of the posterior cerebral artery are frequently associated with executive dysfunction. Injuries involving the splenium or posterior ventral temporal lobe in addition to the occipital lobe lead to more diverse neuropsychological impairments than do isolated occipital lobe injuries alone.