Glucocorticoid therapy and memory function

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In this issue of Neurology , Brunner et al.1 report that a high-dose glucocorticoid treatment regimen for multiple sclerosis (MS) and acute optic neuritis consisting of 500 mg/d IV methylprednisolone for 5 consecutive days impaired long-term recall of verbally presented words, tested at a delay of 30 minutes. The glucocorticoid treatment did not impair working memory or attentional performance. The findings are important in indicating that a glucocorticoid therapy commonly used in clinical practice to treat neurologic inflammatory disease affects memory. The finding that the mnemonic impairments are completely reversed 5 days after the cessation of therapy indicates that the memory deficits do not reflect any sustained neuronal damage. Rather, the findings appear similar to those of basic and preclinical research examining the physiologic effects of acute stress and stress hormones on memory. Research on learning and memory in experimental animals and healthy human …