title: Deficits in visuo-spatial but not in topographical memory during pregnancy and the postpartum state in an expert military pilot: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is well known that cognitive and emotional changes occur during pregnancy, but little is known about their magnitude or their time of occurrence and recovery. During pregnancy memory is one of the most impaired cognitive functions. Although long-term aspects of memory have been investigated, other aspects of memory have not yet been explored (i.e., navigational memory and reaching memory).
  
  
  METHODS
  Here we describe the changes in reaching and walking memory that occurred during pregnancy and one year after delivery in an Italian female military pilot (Case 1) with high spatial ability. In memory tests she showed a classical dissociation between performance in reaching and walking distance, which indicated a failure of working memory, learning, and storage in reaching space. This suggests that her expertise served as a protective factor mitigating her low walking memory performance, and saving the topographical component.We compared her performance with that of two non-pregnant control groups (i.e., women pilots and non-pilots) and found that Case 1's reaching memory performance was significantly worse than that of the control groups. Even one year postpartum, Case 1's performance was not yet the same as that of the other pilots.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings contribute to our knowledge of the specific, as yet unexplored, aspects of memory deficits in women pilots during pregnancy and postpartum and suggest the need for better neuropsychological assessment before these women return to work in operational environments.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Piccardi
authors.affiliation: Centro Sperimentale Volo - Reparto Medicina Aeronautica e Spaziale, Aeroporto "M, de Bernardi" Pratica di Mare Pomezia, Rome, Italy. paola.verde@aeronautica.difesa.it.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Verde
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bianchini
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Morgagni
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guariglia
authors.forename: Felice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Strollo
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tomao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008889:Military Personnel; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013028:Space Perception; D014796:Visual Perception; D016138:Walking