Neuropsychological characterization and detection of subclinical hepatic encephalopathy. Arch Neurol 1996 Aug;53(8):758-63
Date
08/01/1996Pubmed ID
8759982DOI
10.1001/archneur.1996.00550080076015Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0029818592 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 148 CitationsAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the nature of the neuropsychological deficits associated with subclinical hepatic encephalopathy.
DESIGN: Prospective study comparing the performance of patients with liver disease and carefully matched normal controls on a short but comprehensive neuropsychological test battery.
SETTING: A university medical center.
PARTICIPANTS: Twenty patients with cirrhosis (10 alcoholic and 10 nonalcoholic) and 20 controls carefully matched on the basis of age, sex, education, and alcohol history.
RESULTS: The cirrhotic patients exhibited relatively selective deficits in complex attentional and fine motor skills, with preservation of general intellectual ability, memory, language and visuospatial perception.
CONCLUSIONS: This pattern of neuropsychological deficits suggests a subcortical pathophysiology, possibly reflecting involvement of the basal ganglia. These neuropsychological findings are consistent with recent neuroradiological, electrophysiological, and neurophysiological research implicating basal ganglia involvement in cirrhosis.
Author List
McCrea M, Cordoba J, Vessey G, Blei AT, Randolph CAuthor
Michael McCrea PhD Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
FemaleHepatic Encephalopathy
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Prospective Studies
