Word list learning in patients with poycystic lipmembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing leukoencephalopathy

: Matti Vanhanen, Panu Hakola, Tuula Ilonen, Jari Tiihonen

: 2013

: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra

: 1

: 3

: 1

: 10

: 15

: 6

: 1664-5464

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000346857

Background/Aims
Polycystic lipomembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing leukoencephalopathy (PLOSL) is a rare hereditary disease that is characterized by a combination of progressive presenile dementia and sclerosing leukoencephalopathy with bone cysts. No quantitative information on verbal memory functioning in PLOSL patients compared with control subjects is available.

Methods
23 patients with PLOSL and 23 control subjects were examined with a version of the 10-word list-learning task. Learning curves were compared between the patients and the matched control subjects.

Results
Compared with the control subjects, PLOSL patients with moderate or severe dementia were impaired in both learning trials and delayed recall on the 10-word list-learning test.

Conclusion
Progressive degeneration of brain structures affecting the hippocampus and the medial temporal lobe with advanced PLOSL disease contributes to an inefficient verbal learning process.