To put it quite simply, many people who have had Acoustic Neuromas / Vestibular Schwannomas report some manner of cognitive difficulties after surgery. I had read this twice on forums, and made a mental note of it so that we might explore the issue more fully at a later date.
Then I googled the question and there were further forums where people discussed having issues like short term memory difficulties, as well as difficulties with concentration, etc. The anecdotal information was certainly there, so I ran this by Leanne Haroun, our page advisor for AN / VS ( And herself a third year medical school student who had Acoustic Neuroma / Vestibular Schwannoma ) And she said that she could both attest to this, and that this is a known phenomenon that does sometimes present itself after surgery. She also spoke to one of her med school professors - one who specializes in neuropsychaitry, and he said that any brain injury - such as what is sometimes experienced by those with AN / VS, has the potential to change brain chemistry. This most commonly happens over the space of a year or two after brain surgery. When the area of the brain known as the hippocampus is affected - an area which is important for memory formation, then the symptoms people speak of may, in certain cases, be understandable. Considering that Acoustic Neuromas are known to put pressure on, and sometimes displace, areas of the brain and brain-stem, then that may result in cognitive difficulties such as what people say they have experienced.
Leanne did say that she would continue to look into the issue, as well as keep her eyes open for articles in relevant medical journals that may further examine the subject.
For our purposes, we simply wanted to publish this short blog to essentially offer a bit of comfort and understanding to those who may be suffering cognitive challenges after AN / VS surgery. To plainly say it, we wanted to let those suffering with these issues know that they are not alone - and that since cognitive difficulties of this sort have been reported, that you can always inquire about neurocognitive testing to hopefully try to get to the bottom of any nagging or persistent cognitive issues that you expereince.
Here is one online site where people spoke about these issues:
http://www.anarchive.org/cognitive.htm
And here is another forum where this was discussed:
https://www.anausa.org/smf/index.php?topic=16044.0
As always, I urge everyone to use caution when reading information on forums that may contain suggestions or ideas that do not come from verified, peer reviewed medical opinions. However it is pretty clear that the anecdotal information about memory loss and other cognitive issues post AN / VS surgery is there, so it may be of benefit to others to read the experiences of others.
* Note, Leanne and myself may add further links and information on this issue in the future - in order that we might better understand this phenomenon. - Neil
