Retrograde amnesia in a patient with retrosplenial tumour

Abstract

We describe a patient who developed a pure amnesic syndrome due to anaplastic astrocytoma in the retrosplenial region. A dense retrograde amnesia for personal events characterized the syndrome. Learning of new verbal information was spared, while learning of visual material remained persistently poor. The data confirm previous clinical and activation studies suggesting a specific role of the retrosplenial areas in retrieval processes. The hypothesis is that retrieval of autobiographical events may take advantage of visual imagery and that the retrosplenial cortex may play a specific role in human memory by acting as an interface between memory retrieval and visuospatial processes.