Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Abbiategrasso Brain Bank Protocol for Collecting, Processing and Characterizing Aging Brains
Published on: June 3, 2020
Basal forebrain amnesia: a case study
Alicia Osimani1, Eli Vakil, George Blinder
1Neurology Unit, Kaplan Hospital, Rehovot.
Objective:
To provide new evidence of the existence of basal forebrain amnesia, as a different entity from hippocampal or diencephalic amnesia.
Background:
Some authors consider that the characteristics of amnesia do not depend on lesion site, although others claim there are neuropsychologic differences between amnesias due to hippocampal, diencephalic, and basal forebrain lesions. As to the latter, literature is scarce and controversial. The opportunity to thoroughly study J.S., a man with a high IQ and amnesia, enabled us to reinforce the second hypothesis.
Methods:
J.S. is a 47-year-old man who underwent surgery for a pituitary adenoma, the resulting lesion involving only the basal forebrain. We gave him a complete neuropsychologic battery for amnesia and executive functions.
Results:
J.S. showed severe amnesia with a flat learning curve, a rapid forgetting rate and good recognition, a temporal gradient of several years for remote memory, preserved semantic and procedural memory. Most of the tests for executive functions were normal, although he did have a significant personality change after surgery.
Conclusions:
This patient is different from patients with hippocampal or diencephalic lesions, and is similar to other patients reported with basal forebrain lesions. The main difference is the relation between his flat learning curve and preserved recognition, both for visual and verbal material.
Related Concept Videos
Amnesia
The severity and duration of memory loss vary depending on the type and underlying cause. Amnesia is classified into two main types: retrograde and anterograde.
Retrograde amnesia is marked by the loss of memories formed before the onset of the condition. Patients may recall distant past events but often forget those occurring shortly before the incident.
Anterograde...
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Dissociative Amnesia
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory
Role of Hippocampus in Memory
Dementia l: Introduction

