Hippocampal Size and Memory Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Congenital Hypothyroidism

Abstract

Compromised hippocampal development in CH may contribute to some of the memory weaknesses observed in this population.

Cognitive profiles of patients with early detected and treated congenital hypothyroidism

“…In turn, the executive function depends on an adequate myelination, which helps both in the maturation of the prefrontal cortex and its connections to cortical and subcortical areas. 31 Also consistent with previous studies, our results indicate that children with CH have a poorer performance compared to their healthy counterparts in the semantic long-term memory tests, [5][6][7][9][10][11]13 with a moderate effect size.…”

“…13 Children with CH had a poorer performance in visuospatial skills, probably in relation to the absence of thyroid hormones during the postnatal development of the primary motor cortex, which is a critical period. 6 Prenatal thyroid failure may predominately affect the development of the occipital striate pathway into the superior parietal pathway, which processes spatial location, more than the development of the visual perception pathway, which may be preserved (occipital striate pathway into inferior temporal pathway).…”

“…Some examples include attention deficits, 2,3,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11] memory deficits, 3,5-7,9-13 cognitive flexibility and working memory deficits, 6,14,15 problems with visuospatial skills, 3,[5][6][7]9,12,13,[15][16][17] and difficulties with processing speed and reaction times. 5,6,11 However, no studies have been conducted in our population to analyze mild cognitive deficits that may be potentially present in CH.…”

American Thyroid Association Guide to Investigating Thyroid Hormone Economy and Action in Rodent and Cell Models

“…Sophisticated imaging, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has shown that children and adolescents with congenital hypothyroidism have reduced hippocampal size and abnormal hippocampal growth patterns relative to peers. More importantly, reduced hippocampal volumes predict poor memory performance (475).…”

Perfiles cognitivos en pacientes con hipotiroidismo congénito detectado y tratado en forma temprana

“…30 A su vez, la función ejecutiva depende de la adecuada mielinización, que contribuye tanto a la maduración de la corteza prefrontal como a la madurez de sus conexiones con áreas corticales y subcorticales. 31 También en congruencia con estudios previos, nuestros resultados indican que los niños con HC presentan menor rendimiento que sus pares sanos en pruebas de memoria a largo plazo semántica [5][6][7][9][10][11]13 con efecto moderado.…”