PSYCHIC TRAUMA CAUSING GROSSLY REDUCED BRAIN METABOLISM AND COGNITIVEDETERIORATION

While amnesia and other cognitive disturbances are usually caused by s tructural brain damage, there are a few instances in which environment al Stress may induce neuronal death in memory-sensitive brain regions such as the hippocampus. Here we report on a patient who, after a sing le brief exposure to an event reminding him of a similar stressful eve nt from his childhood, deteriorated immediately and persistently witho ut manifesting structural, but manifesting functional, brain damage as measured by position emission tomography. This patient probably repre sents the first case in which a direct relation between a single psych ic event and the occurrence of brain malfunctioning in cognition is do cumented by dynamic neuroimaging methods. Psychic shock may cause last ing reductions in brain metabolism with the consequence of severe inte llectual malfunctioning. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights res erved.