Patients with pituitary tumours may have impairment of both memory and executive function. No correlation has been found with tumour size and type77. The decrease in cognitive function seemed to be more pronounced among those treated with radiation therapy and mainly affected the executive function78. No short-term memory loss have been observed that is clearly attributed to radiation therapy50,79.
Research suggests that the pathogenesis of radiation induced neurocognitive deficit may involve radiation induced injury to proliferating neuronal progenitor cells in the subgranular zone of the hippocampus, which is a critical neurological centre for learning and memory80.
One should be aware that others reported no cognitive impairment due to radiation therapy in GH-deficient pituitary adenoma patients, not receiving GH-replacement81.