Rajesh Kumar1, Kwanoo Lee1, Paul M. Macey2, Mary A. Woo2, Ronald M. Harper1
1Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 2School of Nursing, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) patients show autonomic, affective, and cognitive dysregulation, including memory deficits. The hippocampus and anterior thalamus, essential memory structures, are damaged in CCHS, but other memory components, including the mammillary bodies, have not been assessed. We evaluated mammillary body volumes in CCHS using high-resolution T1-weighted imaging and region-of-interest procedures. Left and right mammillary body volumes were reduced in CCHS over controls, likely contributing to memory inadequacies in CCHS. Hypoxic processes and diminished neuroprotection from micronutrient deficiencies secondary to fluid and dietary absorption issues may contribute to the injury.
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