Assessment of desmopressin-enhanced cognitive function in a neurosurgical patient.
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.
Dons
R F
RF
House
J F
JF
Hood
D
D
Krehbiel
M
M
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
D003894:Deamino Arginine Vasopressin