Breast cancer affects both the hippocampus volume and the episodic autobiographical memory retrieval.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Neuroimaging studies show the hippocampus is a crucial node in the neural network supporting episodic autobiographical memory retrieval. Stress-related psychiatric disorders, namely Major Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), are related to reduced hippocampus volume. However, this is not the case for remitted breast cancer patients with co-morbid stress-related psychiatric disorders. This exception may be due to the fact that, consequently to the cancer experience as such, this population might already be characterized by a reduced hippocampus with an episodic autobiographical memory deficit.

Methodology

We scanned, with a 3T Siemens TRIO, 16 patients who had lived through a "standard experience of breast cancer" (breast cancer and a standard trea

SUBMITTER: Bergouignan L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3189914 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature