Memory Disorders Flashcards
What is anterograde amnesia?
the inability to form new memories
What is retrograde amnesia?
memory loss from before the event
What is short term memory?
the ability to keep information online
What is working memory?
the ability to manipulate information in short term memory
What is long term memory?
storing information over minutes, hours and years
What is non declarative memory?
procedural memory e.g. how to ride a bike and priming/conditioning
What is declarative memory?
episodic memory e.g. events that relate to you as a person and semantic memory e.g. a banana is yellow
What brain structures are involved in declarative memory?
hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, perirhinal cortex
Is there any lateralisation of memory?
yes - left hippocampus predominantly for verbal memory and right hippocampus for non verbal memory
What are some degenerative causes of memory impairment?
alzheimers and chronic alcoholism (due mainly to the malnutrition)
What are some cerebrovascular causes of memory impairment?
bilateral thalamic infarction, cardiogenic cerebral anoxia
What are some transient causes of memory impairment?
transient global amnesia, temporal lobe epilepsy, post traumatic amnesia
What is the primary cause of memory impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy?
hippocampal sclerosis
What brain structures are involved in episodic memory?
mammillary bodies, medial temporal region, retrosplenial cortex, anterior thalamus, basal forebrain
What is transient global amnesia?
a sudden occurrence of a global dense anterograde amnesia out of the blue with no definite pathological correlate - sometimes with specific triggers such as emotional stress
