Dissociations between Spatial and Temporal Order Memory: A Neuropsychological Patient Study

Objectives: In complex real life situations, memories for temporal and spatial information are naturally linked since sequential events coincide in time and space. Whether this connection is inseparable or instead whether these processes are functionally dissociable was investigated in this patient study. Methods: Spatial object-location and temporal order memory tasks were administered to 36 stroke patients and 44 healthy control participants. Results: On group level, patients with a stroke in the left hemisphere performed worse on temporal order memory, compared to the control participants. On individual level, using a multiple case-study approach, a clear pattern of dissociations was found between memory for temporal and for spatial features. Conclusions: These findings indicate that location and temporal order memory contain functionally separable processes. This adds to our understanding of how context information is processed in human memory.