Amnesia due to fornix infarction

Abstract

Background and Purpose - The fornix connects various structures involved in memory. We report a patient with anterograde amnesia after an acute ischemic infarct in the anterior fornix. Case Description - A 71-year-old female with acute-onset amnesia had neuroimaging studies showing ischemic infarction of both columns and the body of the fornix and the genu of the corpus callosum. Neuropsychological evaluation revealed anterograde amnesia without evidence of callosal disconnection. The patient showed marked improvement in her memory function on the follow-up visit. Conclusions - Amnesia in this case is likely due to infarction of the anterior fornix structures.