Longitudinal neuropsychological evaluation of a case of pineal tumor occurring in an adolescent girl.

There has been a relative absence of studies that have longitudinally examined the neuropsychological profiles of patients suffering from pineal tumors. A case is reported of an adolescent girl with a pineoblastoma and spinal metastases who received extensive chemotherapy and cranio-spinal irradiation. Neuropsychological assessments conducted approximately 5 months and 2.5 years posttumor diagnosis revealed a diversity of impairments indicative of mild to moderate neuropsychological dysfunction. By the 2nd evaluation (2 years postbaseline) there was evidence of increased neurocognitive impairment suggestive of greater dysfunction of the patient's right, versus left, cerebral hemisphere. Overall, the patient's neuropsychological profile coincided with the Syndrome of Nonverbal Learning Disabilities as proposed by Rourke and his colleagues (Rourke, 1987, 1988, 1995; Rourke & Tsatsanis, 1996). These findings are discussed in light of the Syndrome of Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (and the related white matter model) and the possible negative impact of the patient's pineal tumor and subsequent chemotherapy and cranio-spinal irradiation on her neuropsychological functioning.