[Neuropsychological findings in a case of porencephaly]

At the present time porencephalia refers to the presence of deep, unilateral or bilateral cavities or excavations, frequently communicating with the subarachnoid space or lateral ventricles, which occur following brain destruction during the end of the foetal or beginning of the new-born period. The clinical features are various forms of cerebral paralysis (spastic hemiparesia, diplegia and tetraplegia), mental retardation and epileptic crises. To date there are few studies giving detailed analysis of the cognitive functions of affected persons.

We studied the mental and cognitive state of an adult woman with massive porencephalic dilatation of the left lateral ventricle. The patient had a normal verbal intelligence quotient. Cortical function, including language, praxis and gnosis were maintained. She had alterations of memory, particularly verbal, and of frontal function.

The deficits observed were not lateralized for neocortical functions, but were lateralized for memory. The neuropsychological pattern partly corresponded to subcortical deterioration due to the lesions of the white matter and basal ganglio.