Organic Psychiatry

Question 1

Memory

-What is immediate memory (sensory memory)?

Answer 1

• Memory that is held for less than a second
• Unprocessed
• Is in the form in which it was perceived by the sensory organ
• This allows the brain time to process the cast amount of visual (iconic), auditory (echoic) and touch (haptic) input that it receives each second

Question 2

• What is short term memory (primary/working memory)?

- Clinically how can you test this?

Answer 2

• Once immediate memory is received it may be transferred to a temporary memory store with limited capacity of around 7+/-2
• Forgotten in 15-30 seconds unless rehearsed or converted into long term memory
• Clinically a digit span test can be used to test this

Question 3

What is long term memory?

Answer 3

• Limitless in capacity

- Duration of storage from minutes to decades

Question 4

Amnesia

• What is anterograde amnesia?
• What is retrograde amnesia?

Answer 4

Anterograde amnesia

• pts can’t store new memories from causative event onwards
• Can retrieve memories from before the event

Retrograde amnesia

• Pts can not recall memories before the causing event
• Storage of new memories is not impaired in these pts

Question 5

Dementia

• What is its prevalence in the total UK population?
• Prevalence after 65?
• Prevalence over 80?

Answer 5

• 1.3%
• 7.1% 1 in 14
• 1 in 6

Question 6

What is the relative prevalence of

• AD?
• Vascular dementia?
• Combined/mixed?
• LBD?
• Frontotemporal dementia?

Answer 6

• AD; 62%
• Vascular dementia: 17%
• Mixed; 10%
• LBD; 4%
• Frontotemporal