12 Questions
What is a common accompanying symptom of cerebrovascular diseases affecting the hippocampus?
Focal neurological signs involving vision or sensory modalities
Which artery is associated with amnestic disorders in case studies?
Anterior communicating artery
What is the characteristic pattern of memory impairment in multiple sclerosis?
Normal digit span memory, but impaired immediate and delayed recall
What is the percentage of multiple sclerosis patients who experience impaired memory?
40 to 60 percent
What is the pathophysiological process involved in multiple sclerosis?
The formation of plaques within the brain parenchyma
Which region of the brain is affected in cerebrovascular diseases associated with amnestic disorders?
Bilateral medial thalamus
What is the primary cause of Korsakoff's Syndrome?
Chronic alcohol abuse
What is the percentage of patients who develop Korsakoff's Syndrome after untreated Wernicke's Encephalopathy?
85%
What is a characteristic change in personality observed in patients with Korsakoff's Syndrome?
Lack of initiative
What is the typical duration of amnesia in patients with Korsakoff's Syndrome after treatment?
Up to 3 months
What is the characteristic of memory affected in Korsakoff's Syndrome?
Recent memory is affected more than remote memory
What is the percentage of patients who recover completely from Korsakoff's Syndrome?
One-third
Study Notes
Cerebrovascular Diseases
- Cerebrovascular diseases affecting the hippocampus involve the posterior cerebral and basilar arteries and their branches.
- Infarctions rarely limited to the hippocampus, often involving the occipital or parietal lobes.
- Common accompanying symptoms: focal neurological signs involving vision or sensory modalities.
- Cerebrovascular diseases affecting the bilateral medial thalamus, particularly the anterior portions, are often associated with symptoms of amnestic disorders.
Multiple Sclerosis
- Pathophysiological process: seemingly random formation of plaques within the brain parenchyma.
- Plaques in the temporal lobe and diencephalic regions can cause symptoms of memory impairment.
- Memory impairment: 40 to 60 percent of patients, characterized by impaired immediate recall and delayed recall of information, affecting both verbal and nonverbal material.
- Digit span memory is typically normal.
Korsakoff's Syndrome
- Amnestic syndrome caused by thiamine deficiency, often associated with chronic alcohol abuse.
- Other causes of thiamine deficiency: poor nutrition, starvation, gastric carcinoma, hemodialysis, hyperemesis gravidarum, prolonged IV hyperalimentation, and gastric plication.
- Often associated with Wernicke's encephalopathy, characterized by confusion, ataxia, and ophthalmoplegia.
- Neuropathological findings: hyperplasia of small blood vessels, hypertrophy of astrocytes, and subtle changes in neuronal axons.
- Amnestic syndrome: 85 percent of cases, accompanied by or following untreated Wernicke's encephalopathy.
- Personality changes: lack of initiative, diminished spontaneity, and lack of interest or concern, similar to frontal lobe lesions or degeneration.
- Executive function deficits: attention, planning, set shifting, and inferential reasoning.
Alcoholic Blackouts
- Characterized by awakening in the morning with a conscious awareness of being unable to remember a period the night before.
- Often associated with severe alcohol abuse.
- Persons experiencing alcoholic blackouts may have a conscious awareness of their inability to remember.
Cerebrovascular diseases affecting brain regions, including the hippocampus and thalamus, and their symptoms and effects on vision, sensory modalities, and neurological functions.
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