Persistent post-traumatic retrograde amnesia: A neuropsychological and (18F)FDG pet study

We report the case of a 48-year old woman who, after a severe closed head injury, developed a severe and persistent disruption of retrograde memory, associated with a mild impairment of learning abilities. The patient's dense amnesia spared only the childhood period and included both explicit memory (autobiographical and semantic) and procedural skills. Because of her partially spared learning ability and intact language, intensive training by family members resulted in the reacquisition and retention of many autobiographical events and of some skills she had lost after the accident. Brain CT scan and MRI were normal; a PET study with (18F)FDG revealed a significant bilateral reduction of metabolism in the hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex, suggesting a role for these structures in memory for past events.