Neuropsychological correlates of rapidly vs. slowly growing intrinsic cerebral neoplasms.

Four groups of patients with intrinsic cerebral neoplasms were compared to determine the differential effect of neoplasm (rapidly vs. slowly growing) and lateralization of damage (right vs. left hemisphere) upon neuropsychological functioning. No prior study has had enough subjects with neoplastic lesions to permit this kind of investigation. The group with rapidly growing neoplasms consistently had greater neuropsychological impairment. Lateralization of cerebral damage was found to have a differential effect on neuropsychological functions. Results indicate that neuropathological and lateralization characteristics of neoplastic lesions (and probably of cerebral lesions in general) are important variables in understanding the behavioral correlates of cerebral damage.