title: Hippocampal cavities are not associated with cognitive impairment in transient global amnesia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hippocampal sulcal cavities (HSC) have been speculated to contribute to a higher vulnerability of memory pathways and might be a possible etiological factor in transient global amnesia (TGA). Therefore, we evaluated the influence of HSC on cognitive long-term outcome in TGA-patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen otherwise healthy patients with the clinical syndrome of TGA in their history underwent a high-resolution magnetic resolution imaging and a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. The neuropsychological control group consisted of 15 healthy subjects and was balanced for age, sex and other risk factors as well as intellectual and social status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Magnetic resolution imaging and neuropsychological testing have been performed 1128 days (median) after the TGA. HSC have been detected in nine of the 14 patients and have been bilateral in eight of them. There were no differences in cognitive performance in patients with and without HSC as well as compared to healthy subjects. Even in patients with greater lesion load, only a slight visuospatial deficit was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although an increased incidence of HSCs is detected in TGA patients, cavities are not obligatorily in TGA. Moreover, even patients with hippocampal cavities achieve a full neuropsychological recovery independent of the frequency and size of the hippocampal lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany. ingo.uttner@uni-ulm.de
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Uttner
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Freund
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bengel
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ludolph
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huber
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020236:Amnesia, Transient Global / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009421:Nervous System Malformations / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards