Definition
The Wada test is named after a neurologist Juhn A. Wada and is also known as the “intracarotid sodium amobarbital procedure” (ISAP) (Wada 1949). This test evaluates the effects of successive unilateral hemianesthesia of the first cerebral hemisphere and then the second, the purpose of which is to determine which of the cerebral hemispheres is predominately responsible for essential cognitive, memory, and language processes. Wada was developed and established by Dr. Wada as a standard test for the presurgical evaluation of patients with intractable epilepsy prior to surgical ablation. The main purpose of this test is to ensure that the nonoperative cerebral hemisphere can sustain adequate language and memory function following elective ablative surgery on the contralateral hemisphere.
ISAP includes the injection of an anesthetic, usually 75–200 mg of sodium amobarbital, into the right or left internal carotid artery supplying either of the cerebral hemispheres. Within seconds...
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References
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McElligott, J. (2016). Wada Test. In: Kreutzer, J., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_83-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_83-3
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