Fifty-eight studies of the neuropathological and
neuropsychological outcomes of cerebral anoxia were reviewed.
Neuropathological reports were examined for the variety,
extent, and specificity of lesions resulting from an anoxic
event. While most attention has focused on damage to the
hippocampus following anoxic brain injury, the review indicated
that watershed cerebral cortex and the basal ganglia were
both more frequently damaged than the hippocampus. The
hippocampus was the sole affected structure in only 18%
of reported cases. Neurological, neuropsychological and
psychiatric studies were analyzed. Of 67 individual case
reports, a memory disturbance was documented in 36 (54%),
but a memory disturbance without report of additional cognitive
deficits occurred in only 13 (19.4%). Changes in personality
and behavior were noted in 31 (46.2%). Visuospatial or,
less frequently, visual recognition problems were noted
in 21 individual cases (31.3%) reviewed. Memory deficits
were found in all 14 group studies reviewed, while in 9
papers changes in behavior or personality were also documented.
Six studies also reported visuospatial deficits. Careful
reading of the literature reveals a range of cognitive
and behavioral changes that reflect very well the neuropathological
outcomes of anoxic episodes. (JINS, 2000, 6,
86–99.)