Recovery of repressed memories after herpetic encephalitis: a case report

Ana Raquel Figueiredo, Serviço de Pedopsiquiatria, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Coimbra. Portugal
Pedro Moniz, Centro Hospitalar do Médio Ave, Porto. Portugal
Cristina Pereira, Serviço de Neuropediatria, Centro de Desenvolvimento da Criança da Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Coimbra. Portugal
Maria Laureano, Serviço de Pedopsiquiatria, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Coimbra. Portugal

Introduction: Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain parenchyma that causes neurological dysfunction. Etiologies are heterogeneous but among infectious causes, viruses are the most common, with the herpes simplex virus accounting for most of the identified cases. Diagnosis can be challenging because of the many ways in which it can present itself. Sequelae are mainly represented by cognitive and behavioral changes and memory loss. Case report: We report the case of an adolescent with HSV encephalitis who recovered from an acute life-threatening event but instead of memory loss, he presented the disclosure of repressed memories related to earlier dissociative amnesia. Discussion: Injury in the hippocampus and amygdala fields has probably disrupted an inhibition process and consequently the recall of emotionally repressed memories. This case illustrates the possibility of a second life-threatening event inducing a rearrangement in the memory of a previous similar event.

Keywords: Encephalitis. Memory. Recovery. Trauma.