A Case of High Altitude Cerebral Edema With a Prolonged Motivational Deficit.

Authors :: Kaneko Y
Suzuki M
Ishihara M
Kitamura M
Bando S
Sagawa T
Yamada K
Kubo H
Nakajima H
Uchiyama M
Source :: Wilderness & environmental medicine [Wilderness Environ Med] 2021 Mar; Vol. 32 (1), pp. 88-91. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Jan 27.
Publication Year :: 2021
Abstract: We report a case of prolonged motivational deficit as a sequela of high altitude cerebral edema (HACE), the most severe form of neuropsychiatric dysfunction arising from traveling to high altitude. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed hyperintense lesions in the globi pallidi bilaterally on T2-weighted images. Single-photon emission computed tomography showed hypoperfusion in dorsolateral and orbital prefrontal cortices bilaterally and in the anterior cingulate cortex. This case suggests that a prolonged motivational deficit can occur in patients with HACE. The case may also suggest that HACE can cause network disturbances between the prefrontal cortex and the globi pallidi.<br /> (Copyright © 2020 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)