Hippocampal sparing in Pick’s disease

In Pick’s disease the hippocampal nerve cells are spared and memory impairment occurs only in very late stages if at all. The mental symptoms are “neocortical” and, especially with insiduous onset, these cases are exceedingly difficult to diagnose in early stages. Most cases are treated and institutionalized, sometimes for many years, as funtional psychoses. At some point in the course of the disease about half of the cases develop progressive aphasias and then, ofcourse, the dementia becomes recognized. Without autopsy, no doubt many of these persons carry their misdiagnoses to their graves.

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