Brain Injury

Question 1

Anterograde Amnesia

Answer 1

• Inability to encode and store new explicit memories that occur after an amnesia- causing event. The individual Can remember old memories, but have trouble forming new ones.
• Cause: Related to a problem with the hippocampus. I.e. unable to consolidate new long-term explicit memories.

Question 2

Alzheimer’s Disease

Answer 2

Alzheimer’s Disease
Neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive widespread deterioration of brain neurons, causing memory loss (both anterograde and retrograde amnesia), decline in cognitive skills, confusion and personality change.
- The hippocampus is the first part of the brain affected by Alzheimer’s, which is why people experience trouble forming new, explicit LTMs quite early in the disease
Changes in the brain (physiological symptoms):
1. Cortical shrinkage
2. Amyloid plaques = Sticky, abnormal clusters of protein fragments forming between neurons, destroying the synapses and the transmission of neural impulses. (OUTSIDE)
3. Neurofibrillary tangles = Abnormal build-up of twisted strands of proteins fibres within neurons, these cause cell death. (INSIDE)
4. Brain lacks neurotransmitter acetylcholine – an important memory neurotransmitter.
Psychological effects of the disease:
- Memory troubles especially explicit. ie; difficulties forming new memories (anterograde amnesia)
- Confusion
- Social withdrawal
- Personality changes

Question 3

Neurodegenerative Disease

Answer 3

Neurodegenerative Disease

• Brain illnesses that progressively kill neurons and cause and permanent changes in cognitive
  ability. E.g. Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s.
• These conditions can have a genetic cause but can also be due to alcoholism, stroke, toxins etc.

Question 4

Brain Trauma

Answer 4

Brain Trauma
- Brain trauma refers to any brain injury that impairs the normal functioning of the brain.
- Such damage may result in some form of memory impairment that causes an inability to form, store or retrieve memories.
- Causes:
➢External (car or sporting accident, assault to the head, brain surgery etc.)
➢Internal (tumours, infections, chronic alcoholism or neurological diseases such as