Retrograde and semantic amnesia in a case of post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome: did something lead to a psychogenic memory loss? A single-case study

Objective: To describe a case of Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) with an atypical cognitive profile.

Method: A 41-year-old PTLDS patient underwent comprehensive neuropsychological testing and psychological assessment.

Results: The patient exhibited impaired intensive attention but preserved selective attention. Executive functions were normal. Short-term and anterograde memory were intact, while retrograde and semantic memory were significantly impaired. The patient also experienced identity loss, specific phobias, dissociative symptoms, and depressed mood.

Conclusions: Severe episodic-autobiographical and retrograde semantic amnesia was consistent with some reports of dissociative amnesia. Loss of identity and phobias were also highly suggestive of a psychogenic mechanism underlying amnesia.