'Developmental dysmnesia': A case report

We report a 9-year-old girl who presented from an early age a severe and specific verbal memory disorder, in the absence of a definite etiology. The results of an extensive neuropsychological assessment showed a dissociation between normal visuo-spatial memory abilities and a marked short-term and long-term verbal memory impairment. We argue that our case is affected by 'developmental dysmnesia', a condition so far described in two cases only. The disorder affected episodic as well as semantic verbal memory. The long term effects on learning and cognition of a memory deficit occurring early in childhood are discussed.