Amnesia and vegetative abnormalities after irradiation treatment: a case study.
This paper describes a case of a patient (GX) with a brain tumour in the third ventricle who developed a syndrome of amnestic disorder and vegetative abnormalities (hyperphagia, oligodipsia) after irradiation treatment that followed brain surgery. The patient shows an extremely poor long-term memory on both visually and verbally presented material, and of autobiographical events occurring after the onset of the illness, but some preserved memory functions on short-term memory tasks, semantic memory tasks, and implicit memory tasks. Given the onset of symptoms only after irradiation (a memory deficit in particular), and the non-invasive nature of the surgery, the probable etiology is post-irradiation syndrome.
Christianson
S A
SA
Department of Psychology, University of Stockholm, Sweden.
Neppe
V
V
Hoffman
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000647:Amnesia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D001921:Brain / Q000528:radiation effects*; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D002551:Cerebral Ventricle Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D016371:Cranial Irradiation; D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D004326:Drinking / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D006963:Hyperphagia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D008326:Mammillary Bodies / Q000528:radiation effects; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000532:radiotherapy; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*