title: Assessment of desmopressin-enhanced cognitive function in a neurosurgical patient.
abstract: The vasopressin analog desmopressin (DDAVP) is known to enhance memory in animals and man but its precise mechanism of action is uncertain. We report the case of a patient who experienced chronic memory dysfunction with impaired job performance following transsphenoidal resection of a pituitary adenoma. A prospective double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the effects of DDAVP was performed. Memory storage and recall improved with DDAVP treatment and declined within 1 week after drug withdrawal both by subjective and objective criteria. The Buschke Selective Reminding Test was clearly the most responsive out of a battery of standard memory testing paradigms employed to track the presence or absence of DDAVP treatment.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Dons
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: House
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hood
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krehbiel
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D003894:Deamino Arginine Vasopressin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D003894:Deamino Arginine Vasopressin