Amnesia CT

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Zehra Malik, M.B.B.S[2]

Head CT scan may be helpful in the diagnosis of the cause of amnesia. Structural and functional abnormalities are identified to detect any bleeding, stroke, tumor, atrophy or any changes suggestive of amnesia.

• CT scan showed reduced blood flow to occipital lobe, caudate nucleus, and frontal lobe gray matter in patients suffering from post-traumatic amnesia. The blood flow was also observed to return back to normal once the memory is regained.^[1]
• In dissociative amnesia there is no structural brain damage. CT scan looks normal. Although PET scan shows hypometabolism in areas responsible for autobiographical memory.^[2]
• No CT scan abnormalities characteristic of transient global amnesia have been reported. However, the underlying cause of transient global amnesia including brain ischemia can be observed on CT.^[3]
• CT scan findings suggestive of Alzheimer’s disease includes cerebral atrophy, enlargement of cerebral sulci, third ventricle and lateral ventricles, decreased gyral volume. ^{[4] [5]}

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