Hippocampal Sclerosis With Memory Loss
Sclerosis of the hippocampal area means scarring of this region of the brain.
For understanding, you may consider it somewhat similar to the scarring that you develop on your skin when you get hurt.
So it’s a bodily response, to a trauma or infection, to repair the damaged area.
It would be essential to investigate the cause of this sclerosis.
Common Causes That May Lead to Scarring of Hippocampus
- Reduced oxygen supply to that area of the brain. This may happen in patients with hypertension or some small vessel disease.
- Previous history of stroke.
- Poor nutritional status.
- History of too much smoking or alcohol intake.
A little patch of scarring is not serious. However, if the scarring is continuous and spreads in brain tissues, it may be dangerous.
It can lead to functional problems in a long term such as impaired memory.
The calcified granuloma may or may not be related to the underlying disease condition causing sclerosis.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
The hippocampal area controls memory, both long term and short term. Damage or loss of neurons in this region therefore leads to memory loss. It is frequently found in patients with community-based dementia.
Spacial navigation is also controlled by this area, and so that also gets affected.
It needs to be differentiated from Alzheimer’s Disease. It may be diagnosed by an MRI of the brain that shows sclerosis of the hippocampus.
It makes the patient prone to fits or seizures especially temporal lobe epilepsy. So, taking an anti-epileptic medication is essential as a preventive measure.
