Basal ganglia calcification as a putative cause for cognitive decline

ABSTRACT Basal ganglia calcifications (BGC) may be present in various medical conditions, such as infections, metabolic, psychiatric and neurological diseases, associated with different etiologies and clinical outcomes, including parkinsonism, psychosis, mood swings and dementia. A literature review...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: João Ricardo Mendes de Oliveira, Matheus Fernandes de Oliveira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Associação Neurologia Cognitiva e do Comportamento
Series:Dementia & Neuropsychologia
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1980-57642013000200151&lng=en&tlng=en
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Summary:ABSTRACT Basal ganglia calcifications (BGC) may be present in various medical conditions, such as infections, metabolic, psychiatric and neurological diseases, associated with different etiologies and clinical outcomes, including parkinsonism, psychosis, mood swings and dementia. A literature review was performed highlighting the main neuropsychological findings of BGC, with particular attention to clinical reports of cognitive decline. Neuroimaging studies combined with neuropsychological analysis show that some patients have shown progressive disturbances of selective attention, declarative memory and verbal perseveration. Therefore, the calcification process might represent a putative cause for dementia syndromes, suggesting a probable link among calcinosis, the aging process and eventually with neuronal death. The increasing number of reports available will foster a necessary discussion about cerebral calcinosis and its role in determining symptomatology in dementia patients
ISSN:1980-5764