Developmental amnesia associated with early hypoxic-ischaemic injury.

We recently reported on three young patients with severe impairments of episodic memory resulting from brain injury sustained early in life. These findings have led us to hypothesize that such impairments might be a previously unrecognized consequence of perinatal hypoxic-ischaemic injury. Neuropsyc...

Cijeli opis

Bibliografski detalji
Glavni autori: Gadian, D, Aicardi, J, Watkins, K, Porter, D, Mishkin, M, Vargha-Khadem, F
Format: Journal article
Jezik:English
Izdano: 2000
_version_ 1826286476818644992
author Gadian, D
Aicardi, J
Watkins, K
Porter, D
Mishkin, M
Vargha-Khadem, F
author_facet Gadian, D
Aicardi, J
Watkins, K
Porter, D
Mishkin, M
Vargha-Khadem, F
author_sort Gadian, D
collection OXFORD
description We recently reported on three young patients with severe impairments of episodic memory resulting from brain injury sustained early in life. These findings have led us to hypothesize that such impairments might be a previously unrecognized consequence of perinatal hypoxic-ischaemic injury. Neuropsychological and quantitative magnetic resonance investigations were carried out on five young patients, all of whom had suffered hypoxic-ischaemic episodes at or shortly after birth. All five patients showed severe impairments of episodic memory (memory for events), with relative preservation of semantic memory (memory for facts). However, none had any of the major neurological deficits that are typically associated with hypoxic-ischaemic injury, and all attended mainstream schools. Quantitative magnetic resonance investigations revealed severe bilateral hippocampal atrophy in all cases. As a group, the patients also showed bilateral reductions in grey matter in the regions of the putamen and the ventral part of the thalamus. On the basis of their clinical histories and the pattern of magnetic resonance findings, we attribute the patients' pathology and associated memory impairments primarily to hypoxic-ischaemic episodes sustained very early in life. We suggest that the degree of hypoxia-ischaemia was sufficient to produce selective damage to particularly vulnerable regions of the brain, notably the hippocampi, but was not sufficient to result in the more severe neurological and cognitive deficits that can follow hypoxic-ischaemic injury. The impairments in episodic memory may be difficult to recognize, particularly in early childhood, but this developmental amnesia can have debilitating consequences, both at home and at school, and may preclude independent life in adulthood.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T01:44:20Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:97ea1a2a-e938-4e4c-a98f-48eb26b558a0
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T01:44:20Z
publishDate 2000
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:97ea1a2a-e938-4e4c-a98f-48eb26b558a02022-03-27T00:03:11ZDevelopmental amnesia associated with early hypoxic-ischaemic injury.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:97ea1a2a-e938-4e4c-a98f-48eb26b558a0EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2000Gadian, DAicardi, JWatkins, KPorter, DMishkin, MVargha-Khadem, FWe recently reported on three young patients with severe impairments of episodic memory resulting from brain injury sustained early in life. These findings have led us to hypothesize that such impairments might be a previously unrecognized consequence of perinatal hypoxic-ischaemic injury. Neuropsychological and quantitative magnetic resonance investigations were carried out on five young patients, all of whom had suffered hypoxic-ischaemic episodes at or shortly after birth. All five patients showed severe impairments of episodic memory (memory for events), with relative preservation of semantic memory (memory for facts). However, none had any of the major neurological deficits that are typically associated with hypoxic-ischaemic injury, and all attended mainstream schools. Quantitative magnetic resonance investigations revealed severe bilateral hippocampal atrophy in all cases. As a group, the patients also showed bilateral reductions in grey matter in the regions of the putamen and the ventral part of the thalamus. On the basis of their clinical histories and the pattern of magnetic resonance findings, we attribute the patients' pathology and associated memory impairments primarily to hypoxic-ischaemic episodes sustained very early in life. We suggest that the degree of hypoxia-ischaemia was sufficient to produce selective damage to particularly vulnerable regions of the brain, notably the hippocampi, but was not sufficient to result in the more severe neurological and cognitive deficits that can follow hypoxic-ischaemic injury. The impairments in episodic memory may be difficult to recognize, particularly in early childhood, but this developmental amnesia can have debilitating consequences, both at home and at school, and may preclude independent life in adulthood.
spellingShingle Gadian, D
Aicardi, J
Watkins, K
Porter, D
Mishkin, M
Vargha-Khadem, F
Developmental amnesia associated with early hypoxic-ischaemic injury.
title Developmental amnesia associated with early hypoxic-ischaemic injury.
title_full Developmental amnesia associated with early hypoxic-ischaemic injury.
title_fullStr Developmental amnesia associated with early hypoxic-ischaemic injury.
title_full_unstemmed Developmental amnesia associated with early hypoxic-ischaemic injury.
title_short Developmental amnesia associated with early hypoxic-ischaemic injury.
title_sort developmental amnesia associated with early hypoxic ischaemic injury
work_keys_str_mv AT gadiand developmentalamnesiaassociatedwithearlyhypoxicischaemicinjury
AT aicardij developmentalamnesiaassociatedwithearlyhypoxicischaemicinjury
AT watkinsk developmentalamnesiaassociatedwithearlyhypoxicischaemicinjury
AT porterd developmentalamnesiaassociatedwithearlyhypoxicischaemicinjury
AT mishkinm developmentalamnesiaassociatedwithearlyhypoxicischaemicinjury
AT varghakhademf developmentalamnesiaassociatedwithearlyhypoxicischaemicinjury