Prospektivní Sledování Objemu a Funkce Hipokampu u Osob Léčených Glukokortikoidy

Decreased hippocampal volume often reported in disorders associated with stress or elevated levels of corticosteroids, is being ascribed to putative neurodegenerative effects of corticosteroids. This is the first study directly looking at hippocampal volume and function in human patients treated with corticosteroids. Methods: 14 subjects treated with corticosteroids were prospectively evaluated with neuropsychological tests and a subsample also with magnetic resonance volumetry of hippocampus. Results: There was no significant change in hippocampal volume neither during average of 73 days of treatment with mean dose of 30,99 mg of prednisone per day, nor during average of 192,5 days of treatment with mean dose of 24,2 mg of prednisone per day. There was a trend towards worsening in hippocampus specific memory tasks. Conclusion: We did not find macroscopic changes in hippocampal volume during treatment with corticosteroids. We cannot, however, rule out microscopic changes leading to decline in hippocampus mediated memory functions.