Memory impairment in patients with surgically removed pituitary adenoma

Abstract

Pituitary adenomas (PA) are benign brain tumors causing hormonal imbalance, which frequently is followed by physiological symptoms and cognitive dysfunction. PA patients usually suffer from deficits in different memory domains, including working memory, recall and recognition, which are essential for everyday tasks. Neurosurgery is one of main treatment options for PA. It is presumed that after PA is surgically removed, some of cognitive functions including memory might recover over time, however research studies in this area are scarce. The objective of this study was to assess whether longer period following PA surgery is related to better memory functioning. 36 patients (24 females and 12 males, mean age 50 (SD 13) years) participated in this study. Average follow-up duration after surgery was 82 ± 64 months. Memory domains (working memory, delayed recall and recognition) were measured by Lithuanian version of Hopkins Verbal Learning TestRevised. Results showed that one-third of participants still demonstrated significant impairments in delayed recall and recognition domains, and nearly one-fifth had impaired working memory. Correlation analysis revealed significant relationship between longer period following PA surgery and better performance on recognition task (r = 0.361; p = 0.03), however no significant relationships were found between longer period following PA surgery and better functioning in working memory and delayed recall domains. In conclusion, memory impairment is prevalent many months after PA surgery. It seems, that working memory and delayed recall difficulties are relatively stable and do not improve over time, however recognition may recover after PA is surgically removed.