[Brain lesions in mild radiation sickness]

It is indicated that all subjects who had acute grade I radiation sickness of the Chernobyl accident showed disorders of the brain functions 5-6 years later. They evidence involvement of all brain structures but especially the subcortical brainstem portions. Marked memory reduction was also noted. The neurological deficit was not pronounced but the patients developed a syndrome of significant disadaptation, which had a progressive character. The authors propose to term these changes as postradiation encephalopathy of primary-radiation and intoxication genesis.