PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

A 26-year-old woman with massive bilateral prefrontal damage of unknown aetiology is described. Frontal lobe degeneration was examined with magnetic resonance imaging and (18F)2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron-emission tomography, and was found to include both orbital and dorsolateral aspects of the frontal lobes. For the left prefrontal cortex, degeneration was most marked along the medial frontal gyrus; for the right, the degeneration of the middle frontal gyrus extended nearly up to the precentral sulcus; furthermore, portions of the superior frontal gyrus and most of the orbitofrontal cortex were affected as well. The patient had complete high-school education, superior verbal longterm memory, normal short-term memory, and normal priming, but manifested grossly deficient scores in various frontal lobe sensitive tests. Although a number of neurological measures were taken, no plausible cause of the damage was obtained. She does not fulfil the criteria of schizophrenia. Because of the focus of brain impairment and the behavioural disturbances, the young woman suffers presumably from frontal lobe degeneration of non-Alzheimer type.