Cognitive Impairment in Left Parietal Convexity Meningioma

Prevalence and Risk Factors

According to the EANO‑ESMO guidelines, approximately 90 % of patients with primary brain tumors—including benign meningiomas—exhibit measurable cognitive impairment before any treatment is initiated【1】.

Brain tumors produce cognitive dysfunction through a combination of direct local tissue damage and disruption of distributed cognitive networks【1】【2】.
The parietal lobe is critical for visuospatial processing, attention, working memory, sensory integration, and executive functions; impairment of these networks can arise even with mild mass effect【2】【3】【5】.

Memory (particularly verbal memory) and executive functioning are the most frequently impaired domains in meningioma patients【1】【4】.
Executive functioning deficits are commonly observed in this population【2】.
Working memory and sustained attention are also significantly affected in patients with left‑sided parietal meningiomas【2】.

Formal neuropsychological testing is recommended to objectively document cognitive deficits, as self‑report measures correlate only moderately with objective performance【1】【4】.
The EANO‑ESMO guidelines endorse validated instruments such as:
- Stroop Test for assessing interference and executive function【1】.
- Trail Making Test for evaluating attention and executive processing【1】.
- Controlled Oral Word Association Test for verbal fluency assessment【3】.

Surgical resection that alleviates mass effect and intracranial pressure can lead to improvement in cognitive function in meningioma patients【1】【2】.

Determinations of driving fitness should incorporate evaluation of neurocognitive function—particularly visuospatial processing and attention deficits that are common with left parietal lesions—alongside seizure risk【2】【3】【4】.