Memory changes in herpes virus encephalitis: report of a case [Alterazione della memoria nell'encefalite da herpes virus: a proposito di un caso]

A case of Herpes Simplex Encephalitis with a benign course was present in a 66-year-old patient. A year after the acute phase of the illness, the patient continued to suffer from inability to fix verbal material in memory. During the acute phase, cerebral NMR revealed a large evolving lesion in the right temporal region, and an old lesion located in the same region of the opposite hemisphere. From the medical history, we learned that the patient, 35 years earlier, suffered a similar episode, including a short-term memory deficit. In the following study, we will discuss this case report in relation to data found in the literature dealing with memory deficit, caused by mono and bilateral, temporal lesions.