Disruption of Limbic Pathways in a Case of Profound Amnesia

Abstract

We report a case of episodic amnesia in which the anatomical basis of injury was investigated by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Two months after an adult male suffered severe closed head injury, conventional magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) revealed only a right superior frontal lesion. However, 14 years later, DTI revealed structural anomalies not visible on CMRI involving limbic white matter tracts, notably the fornix, which could explain the amnesia.

Keywords:

• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
• amnesia
• fornix
• neuroimaging
• conventional magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI)

Acknowledgments

Supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health to the first author (P01NS046588A).