Knowra Amnesia Amnesia Amnesia is partial or complete loss of memory for events or information. It can affect memories formed before its onset, the ability to form new memories, or both.
Anterograde amnesia : Anterograde amnesia is difficulty forming new long-term memories after its onset. It is the pattern most directly associated with an impaired ability to encode new memories.
Henry Molaison : Henry Molaison, known for decades by the initials H.M., was an American patient whose surgery for epilepsy caused profound memory impairment. His case linked damage to medial temporal structures with difficulty forming new declarative memories.
Episodic memory : Episodic memory is memory for personally experienced events situated in time and place. Loss of this system can erase recollection of personal experiences while leaving other knowledge intact.
Traumatic brain injury : Traumatic brain injury is disruption of brain function caused by an external mechanical force. Injury can cause temporary or lasting memory loss, including amnesia around the event.
Dementia : Dementia is an acquired decline in cognitive abilities severe enough to interfere with independent daily functioning. Unlike many amnesias, dementia typically involves progressive impairment across multiple cognitive domains.
Retrograde amnesia : Retrograde amnesia is loss of memories formed before an illness, injury, or other onset. It contrasts with failure to form new memories by affecting access to earlier ones.
Clive Wearing : Clive Wearing is a British musician with severe, persistent amnesia following encephalitis. His case illustrates profound anterograde amnesia alongside preserved musical abilities.
Semantic memory : Semantic memory is memory for facts, concepts, and word meanings independent of the circumstances in which they were learned. Its relative preservation can coexist with severe loss of personal event memories.
Encephalitis : Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain, commonly caused by infection or an immune reaction. Damage to memory-related brain regions during encephalitis can lead to severe amnesia.
Delirium : Delirium is an acute disturbance of attention and awareness that fluctuates over time. Confusion and inattention can resemble memory loss but are central features of delirium.
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