Chapter 7: Disorders of Memory

Question 1

Amnesia

Answer 1

A pathological impairment of memory function.

Question 2

Organic amnesia

Answer 2

Caused by some form of physical damage inflicted on the brain. It is irriversable.

Question 3

Psychogenic Amnesias

Answer 3

Caused by psychological factors. Temporary suppresion of disturbing memories which are unacceptable to the patient at some subconscious level. They are reversable.

Question 4

Organic amnesia (main causes)

Answer 4

1. Alzheimer’s disease: Degenerative brain disorder. First appears as memory impairment, but later develops into a more general dementia. Age>60
2. Korsakoff syndrome: brain disease which results from chronic alcoholism (Mainly Memory Impairment). Affects both recent memories and memories from distant past.
3. Herpes simplex encephalitis: virus indection of the brain, which can leave the patient severely amnesic -very rare. With sudden onset.
4. Temporal lobe surgery 5. Electroconvulsive therapy for depression.
5. Other causes: Strokes, tumors, injuries, brain damage caused by cardiac arrest, HIV infection, and degenerative disorders (Huntington, Parkinson).

Question 5

Amnesia and LTM

Answer 5

Generally, in every type of organic amnesia there is severe LTM impairment, but relatively unimpaired STM. They have difficulty in consolidating new information into their LTM store, and they often also have problems retrieving old memories from storage.

Question 6

Anterograde amnesia

Answer 6

Impaired memory for events which have occured since the onset of the disorders. Learning disorders. Restriction to the anterior thalamus.

Question 7

Retrograde amnesia

Answer 7

Impaired memory for events which occured prior to the amnesia. Retrieving disorders and learning problems. Temporal cortex and prefrontal.

Question 8

Brain areas in amnesia

Answer 8

temporal lobes, hippocampus, thalamus, prefrontal lobes. Hippocampus is responsible for the creation of new memories.

Question 9

Amnesia paradox

Answer 9

Many aspects of memory still unimpared.
Motor skills are also preserved- they can learn and retain new motor skills, becaused they are learned in an automatic and unconscious level. Intact procedural memory, but impaired declerative memory. Familiarity recognitionis retaned as well, but not recollection skill.
Episodic memory is impaired. Although, the semantic memory is intact.

Question 10

Concussion amnesia

Answer 10

Typically suffer from both retrograde and anterograde amnesia, which may be extensive at first but which then usually diminishes with time, to leave only a very limited period from which memories are permanently lost.

Question 11

Frontal lobe lesions

Answer 11

Problems in retrieving memories. Because of impairment in executive functions.

Question 12

Confabulation

Answer 12

the repoting of memories which are incorrect and apparently babricated, but which the patient believes to be true.

Question 13

Psychogenic amnesia

Answer 13

It is brought on by stress, and they are usually temporary, typically disappearing within a few days. It involves loss of past events memory (RA), AA is unusual.
1. Global: complete loss of memories, 2. Situation specific: amnesia for one event only. It is difficult to distinguish it from faking.

Question 14

Rehabilitation

Answer 14

Strategies used to help patients with an impairment or disability, enabling them to function as effectively as possible within the limitations created by the impairment.