Thalamic amnesia following venous infarction: evidence from a single case study.
The present paper describes the case of a right-handed Italian-English bilingual male patient suffering from amnesia following a bilateral thalamic lesion due to venous infarction. Within a few months from the onset, the lesion gradually shrank and was finally confined to the left thalamus only, in particular to the antero-medial portion and the pulvinar. The mammillary bodies and the cortical areas of both hemispheres were spared. After the regression of a series of generalized cognitive deficits implying slow psychic activity confusion, and spatial and temporal disorientation, the patient presented a persistent amnesic syndrome with mild language disorders, both in Italian and in English. Major disorders of memory included a dissociation between verbal memory, which was severely impaired, and spatial memory, which was largely preserved.
Peru
A
A
Dipartimento di Scienze Neurologiche e della Visione, Sezione Fisiologia, Università di Verona, Italy. andrea@borgoroma.univr.it
Fabbro
F
F
D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D005402:Fistula / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D013788:Thalamus / Q000503:physiopathology*