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We provide the full dataset and Analysis scripts of the study "Rhinal and hippocampal contributions to spontaneous inter-item binding and verbal memory recall: Evidence from temporal lobe epilepsy" by Grewe, Neu, Aengenendt, Woermann, Mertens, Bien, & Kissler

Purpose: Complaints pertaining to memory functioning are among the most often reported cognitive symptoms in patients with epilepsy. However, research suggests a considerable mismatch between patients’ perception of memory functioning and the objective performance as measured with standardized neuropsychological tests. Depressive mood might be an important factor in explaining this discrepancy. As a new approach, the present study aimed to quantify the mismatch between subjective and objective memory functioning by considering the dynamic change of these factors as well as depressive symptoms after epilepsy surgery. Moreover, their influence on the overall quality of life was investigated. Methods: Pre- and postoperative (24 months) data from 78 patients with focal epilepsy (28% extratemporal) were retrospectively analyzed. Data from standard neuropsychological assessment included verbal memory capacity and self-ratings of subjective memory, depressive symptoms, as well as quality of life. Results: The results showed that (1) patients with clinically relevant postoperative depressive symptoms underestimate their actual memory performance; (2) the relationship between objective memory change and quality of life is mediated by the factors subjective memory change and depressive mood. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate a quantitative approximation of a pronounced depression-related negative bias in self-perception of memory functioning of roughly 1 to 1.5 standard deviations. At the same time, our data indicate that patients’ perceptions of memory functioning can be quite accurate in the absence of depressive symptoms. Additionally, subjective perception of memory performance and depressive mood may critically determine if objective memory changes contribute to patients’ postoperative QoL. Taken together, our study highlights the clinical relevance of incorporating subjective measures of memory functioning and mood that go beyond objective memory performance for the interpretation of how changes in memory functioning may affect patients’ quality of life after epilepsy surgery.

Background To increase the ecological validity of neuropsychological instruments the use of virtual reality (VR) applications can be considered as an effective tool in the field of cognitive neurorehabilitation. Despite the growing use of VR programs, only few studies have considered the application of everyday activities like shopping or travelling in VR training devices. Methods We developed a novel 360°- VR supermarket, which is displayed on a circular arrangement of 8 touch-screens – the “OctaVis”. In this setting, healthy human adults had to memorize an auditorily presented shopping list (list A) and subsequently buy all remembered products of this list in the VR supermarket. This procedure was accomplished on three consecutive days. On day four, a new shopping list (list B) was introduced and participants had to memorize and buy only products of this list. On day five, participants had to buy all remembered items of list A again, but without new presentation of list A. Additionally, we obtained measures of participants’ presence, immersion and figural-spatial memory abilities. We also tested a sample of patients with focal epilepsy with an extended version of our shopping task, which consisted of eight days of training. Results We observed a comprehensive and stable effect of learning for the number of correct products, the required time for shopping, and the length of movement trajectories in the VR supermarket in the course of the training program. Task performance was significantly correlated with participants’ figural-spatial memory abilities and subjective level of immersion into the VR. Conclusions Learning effects in our paradigm extend beyond mere verbal learning of the shopping list as the data show evidence for multi-layered learning (at least visual-spatial, strategic, and verbal) on concordant measures. Importantly, learning also correlated with measures of figural-spatial memory and the degree of immersion into the VR. We propose that cognitive training with the VR supermarket program in the OctaVis will be efficient for the assessment and training of real-life cognitive abilities in healthy subjects and patients with epilepsy. It is most likely that our findings will also apply for patients with cognitive disabilities resulting from other neurological and psychiatric syndromes.