A re-appraisal of a case of persistent global amnesia following right temporal lobectomy: a clinico-pathological study

Neuropsychologia. 1992 May;30(5):437-50. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(92)90091-y.

Abstract

We report a reappraisal of patient NT who became severely amnesic after a right temporal lobectomy for intractable epilepsy (DINSDALE et al., Neuropsychologia 1, 287, 1964 [6]). Histological examination, albeit incomplete, indicated that there was no abnormality in the resected temporal lobe. At autopsy a sclerotic lesion of the unoperated left hippocampal formation was found. This case is therefore not an exception to the general rule that a severe and global amnesic state is only observed with bilateral lesions. Her performance on a wide range of memory tests is shown to be indistinguishable from patients with an amnesic syndrome due to Korsakoff's psychosis.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Amnesia / pathology
  • Amnesia / physiopathology*
  • Atrophy
  • Dominance, Cerebral / physiology
  • Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic / pathology
  • Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic / physiopathology
  • Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic / surgery*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Hippocampus / pathology
  • Hippocampus / physiopathology
  • Humans
  • Mental Recall / physiology
  • Neurons / pathology
  • Neurons / physiology
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Postoperative Complications / pathology
  • Postoperative Complications / physiopathology*
  • Psychosurgery*
  • Retention, Psychology / physiology
  • Temporal Lobe / pathology
  • Temporal Lobe / physiopathology
  • Temporal Lobe / surgery*