Amnesia in temporal lobectomy patients: historical perspective and review.
Profound memory loss is a rare but serious complication of temporal-lobe surgery for the relief of medically intractable epilepsy. This paper examines the characteristics of the patients who have been reported to become amnesic following temporal-lobe surgery over the last four decades. The critical role of the hippocampi in memory function are implicated in autopsy studies and MRI investigations, but these cases suggest that a range of memory impairments result from bilateral hippocampal damage, rather than a pure amnesic syndrome in every case. There is some evidence that bilateral structural hippocampal abnormalities may not necessarily be associated with significant memory problems, if these abnormalities have a developmental basis. However, whilst not necessarily profound, any post-operative deterioration in memory function remains a significant consideration in the presurgical evaluation of temporal-lobe epilepsy patients.
Baxendale
S
S
Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, Nuffield III, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford.
D000647:Amnesia / Q000266:history / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000266:history / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D011612:Psychosurgery / Q000266:history; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery