ABSTRACT

While infections of the central nervous system frequently lead to disorders of psychological function there have been relatively few detailed studies of memory deficits in such illnesses. A few studies have focused specifically on attempts to improve memory functioning in patients with infectious diseases of the brain. A study of hypoxia associated with sleep-disordered breathing found some relationship between measures of hypoxia and impaired memory performance, but in this study matched control subjects were not tested, and the authors reported their patients' test scores as falling within the normal range. Cerebral hypoxia can occur in a variety of settings, ranging from general medical conditions such as cardiac disease to neurological conditions such as head injury. N. Berlyne and M. Strachan reviewed a number of case studies of memory deficits associated with attempted hanging, and suggested that where memory impairment was evident one month after the attempted hanging, persistent memory deficits were likely to remain.