What Causes Poor Memory And Slow Thinking Process With History Of Head Injury?

Posted on Sat, 10 Jan 2015

Question: I am a 57 year old male with a history of blows to the head and 6 acoustic neuroma procedures. The past year or two my memory is poor, my reasoning and thinking are slow and labored. My recent MRI shows small holes and white spots of irregular shapes. I cannot keep up with my accounting work and make numerous errors, which I make up for by working later. I had a mild stroke after my 3rd AN operation. Any Suggestions?

Answered by Dr. Suresh Heijebu (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Most cases resolve spontaneously within 3-6 months.

Detailed Answer:
Hi Sir.

I understand your query and concern.

You seem to have post traumatic amnesia.

This kind of cognitive disturbances are quite prevalent in post head injury patients.

Operations for acoustic neuromas often do not produce such disturbances.

I advise you to have a CT scan rather to detect any established intracranial hemorrhages.

Most patients usually recover within 3-6 months spontaneously

This kind of cognitive disturbances are not classified as Disability. Hence you need not be considered so.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju

Follow up: Dr. Suresh Heijebu (39 hours later)

Thanks for your quick response, Dr. Heijebu! My job duties require quick calculations, financial reports with hard deadlines, and a consistently accurately and quick analysis of a great deal of financial data. My Psychiatrist has diagnosed me with adult attention deficit hyperactivity order, along with major depressive disorder. These conditions badly affect my ability to remember regulations, deadlines, reconcile financial accounts that do not balance, and my employer has observed a definite worsening of my symptoms the last couple of years. They cannot tolerate the situation any longer. If our financial reports are late, we are penalized by having our funding reduced for the next fiscal year. I have had a recent MRI, and my cerebellum has an extremely dark area in the central area, and another slide showed small black spots scattered randomly around the entire brain. Another view showed a random scattering of white marks that remind me of plaque buildup in various spots in arteries. Some of them shine brightly, while others are more subdued.
There are also a few places in the outer area closer to the skull where my "folds" seem to have atrophied, worse in the left hemisphere than the right. They have turned whiter in color, and look to have shrunk. There is a big lump and crack in my skull over the worst shrunken area. I am scheduled for an EEG and a consultation with my Neurologist on the 23rd. I would like to hear from You what I have described to You might indicate. The Harvard website said it could be anything from Alzhemer's to Parkinson's to a severe B12 deficiency. Please be XXXXXXX so that I can prepare myself for the worst. I look forward to hearing from You as soon as You can possibly answer. I am extremely anxious and frightened not knowing the likelihoods of the various conditions I might have.

Answered by Dr. Suresh Heijebu (17 hours later)

Brief Answer:
We need to rule out Presenile Dementia...

Detailed Answer:
Hi Sir,

I am extremely sorry for the delayed response.

As per your MRI findings ,you seem to have Presenile dementia ,a variant of Alzheimer's like disease where subcortical findings are more prominent.

Vit B12 deficiency or Parkinson's disease are quite unlikely based on the given findings.

The confirmation can be made on the SPECT CT scan by calculating the hippocampal volume.

Simultaneously a study of the thyroid hormones and serum Vit B12 assessment can be helpful.

These confirmations can be made on realistic grounds by your Neurologist.

Post your further queries,if any.

Thank you.

Note: For further queries related to kidney problems Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj