Clinical case report: memory functions after anterior communicating artery aneurysm rupture

The case of a patient suffering from rupture of an aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery is reported. The hematoma was located in the basal forebrain, one of the anatomical regions associated with mnestic functions. Memory and other cognitive functions were studied. The patient performed well on all non-mnestic tests, but showed significant memory impairment. Anterograde memory was deficient not only in recall, but also in recognition. Performance on remote memory tests showed some differentiation. The patient remembered autobiographical material and famous faces correctly, but presented deficits on a Famous Events Test. This dissociation represents a difference in emotional content or familiarity of the material; the performance in tests using material with a higher emotional content was unremarkable. Lesions within the basal forebrain seem to deteriorate anterograde and remote memory, but performance may be inconspicuous if test material of high emotional content or familiarity is used.