Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Use of an Eight-arm Radial Water Maze to Assess Working and Reference Memory Following Neonatal Brain Injury
08:09

Use of an Eight-arm Radial Water Maze to Assess Working and Reference Memory Following Neonatal Brain Injury

Published on: December 4, 2013

Memory functions in children with early hydrocephalus

M A Scott1, J M Fletcher, B L Brookshire

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Springdale 72765-0768, USA. mscott3@aol.com

Neuropsychology
|November 7, 1998
PubMed

Insights

Children with shunted hydrocephalus show significant memory impairments, impacting both verbal and nonverbal tasks. Those with arrested hydrocephalus also performed worse than controls, indicating pervasive memory disturbances.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Hydrocephalus, a condition of excess cerebrospinal fluid, can affect cognitive functions, particularly memory.
  • Different severities of hydrocephalus, including arrested and shunted forms, may have varying impacts on cognitive development.
  • Understanding memory deficits in children with hydrocephalus is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare memory performance across three groups of children: those with shunted hydrocephalus, arrested hydrocephalus, and no hydrocephalus.
  • To investigate whether a gradient of memory impairment exists corresponding to hydrocephalus severity.
  • To identify specific memory components affected by hydrocephalus, regardless of etiology.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 157 children with etiologies including prematurity, spina bifida, and aqueductal stenosis were assessed.
  • Participants were divided into three groups: shunted hydrocephalus, arrested hydrocephalus, and no hydrocephalus.
  • Comprehensive verbal and nonverbal memory tasks were administered to evaluate multiple memory components.

Main Results:

  • Children with shunted hydrocephalus demonstrated poorer performance on all memory measures compared to the other groups.
  • The arrested hydrocephalus group showed some memory deficits compared to controls, but less consistently than the shunted group.
  • Deficits in encoding and retrieval were observed in the shunted hydrocephalus group across both verbal and nonverbal memory tasks.

Conclusions:

  • Shunted hydrocephalus is associated with pervasive memory disturbances, including significant encoding and retrieval deficits.
  • Arrested hydrocephalus may also lead to memory impairments, though potentially less severe than in shunted cases.
  • These findings highlight the critical impact of hydrocephalus management on children's cognitive and memory functions.

More Related Videos

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm06:35

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

Modeling Posthemorrhagic Hydrocephalus of Prematurity in Rats04:12

Modeling Posthemorrhagic Hydrocephalus of Prematurity in Rats

Published on: March 28, 2025

Related Concept Videos

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory01:26

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...
Role of Hippocampus in Memory01:19

Role of Hippocampus in Memory

The hippocampus, a critical brain structure, plays an essential role in memory processing, particularly in the formation and retrieval of memory. This small, seahorse-shaped region is located within the medial temporal lobe, with one hippocampus in each brain hemisphere. Experimental studies involving lesions in the hippocampi of rats have demonstrated significant impairments in tasks such as object recognition and maze navigation, indicating the hippocampus involvement in both recognition and...
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory01:14

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the cerebellum's...
Information Processing Approach01:30

Information Processing Approach

The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is also...