A prospective study of the cognitive and psychiatric effects of pituitary tumours and their treatments.

•Minimal cognitive impairments were found, except on verbal recognition memory.•Pre-treatment verbal memory deficits in Cushing’s disease patients improved at follow up, as did depression.•In surgically-treated patients, verbal memory deficits pre-dated treatment.•Cognitive impairments either improved or remained unchanged by treatment, implicating pre-existing aetiological factors.