<Course>
Mild forgetfulness is common in many people as they age. However, memory loss, especially with younger individuals, can be a sign of a more serious problem called amnesia. This condition is defined as the “inability to recall information that is stored in memory” (Nordqvist). Often times, people with amnesia are depicted in contemporary movies, such as Lucy from the film 50 First Dates. However, the stories of people with amnesia is not as easy and funny as it seems. In order to get a better understanding of this disorder, it is imperative to take a look at its different types, symptoms, and causes.
Types of Amnesia
Currently, there are different types of recorded amnesia all over the world. These are as follows:
Anterograde Amnesia
This condition is defined as “ an impairment of memory retrieval from a long-term memory (LTM) store accompanied by intact retrieval from a short-term memory (STM) store or working memory” (Talmi, Caplan, Richards, and Moscovitch). This means that a person with anterograde amnesia cannot store and remember new information. Everything that is currently happening, the new people that the patient meets, and the new places that the patients explores will not be remembered. However, the patient has the ability to remember pieces of information before the onset of amnesia.
Retrograde Amnesia
The opposite of anterograde amnesia happens with retrograde amnesia. With this condition, all of the information stored before the onset of amnesia are forgotten (Reed and Squire 3943). However, the person is able to store new pieces of information.
Transient Global Amnesia
Transient global amnesia is a temporary loss of memory. This is a rare form of amnesia that affects people around the ages of 40 to 80 (Owen, Paranandi, Sivakumar, and Seevaratnam 236). It is characterized by an abrupt and severe episode of anterograde amnesia lasting no more than 24 hours.
Hysterical Amnesia
Another rare form of amnesia is called hysterical amnesia. This is characterized by the inability to remember one’s own identity, which means that when patients look in the mirror, they will not be able to recognize themselves (Nordqvist). Although the memory of people with hysterical amnesia tend to go back slowly, the actual episode of their memory loss may not be remembered.
Traumatic Amnesia
Traumatic amnesia is another form of memory loss. As suggested by its name, this condition is caused by trauma or a hard blow to the head. In most cases, this type of amnesia is also temporary and the recovery depends on the severity of the injury (Nordqvist). Many athletes had experienced this condition due to injury.
Wernike-Korsakoff’s Psychosis
Wernike-Korsakoff’s psychosis is a progressive type of amnesia. The most common cause of this is prolonged alcohol abuse or thiamine deficiency (Kim). It is important to note that thiamine or Vitamin B1 deficiency is common among people who are addicted to alcohol.
Childhood Amnesia or Infantile Amnesia
Infantile amnesia is characterized by the inability to recall memories of early childhood. According to Carole Peterson, a psychology professor at the Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, “our 'psychological childhood' begins much later than our real childhood. And most or all of those events that previously were talked about, that caused laughter or tears, are no longer accessible if they occurred in our preschool years" (Society for Research in Child Development).
Other Forms of Amnesia
In addition, there is also a condition called posthypnotic amnesia which is the inability to recall events during a hypnosis session. Blackout phenomenon, on the other hand, refers to the loss of memory during an episode of heavy drinking. There are two types of blackout phenomenon: complete and partial. With a complete blackout, “memory loss is permanent and cannot be recalled under any circumstances” (Lee, Roh, and Kim 2785). Partial blackout, on the other hand, tend to remember forgotten information with the help of cues. Moreover, from time to time, some people remember pieces of information but they could not remember where the information came from. This is called source amnesia. Lastly, few people do not have the ability to recognize faces. This is another form of amnesia called prosopamnesia, a quite rare neurological condition (Anitei). Because this kind of amnesia is rare, more information is yet to be explored about this condition.
Symptoms of Amnesia
Although the symptoms of amnesia vary depending on each type, there are common symptoms that are being shared by many forms. These include confusion, disorientation, partial or total loss of memory, inability to recognize people’s faces, inability to recognize places, false memories, and the inability to remember past events and experiences (Nordqvist). The severity of each symptoms also depends on the type of amnesia a person has.
Causes of Amnesia
There can be different causes behind every kind of amnesia. For instance, an amnesia that is caused by brain injury or brain damage can be triggered by the following: stroke, encephalitis, celiac disease, oxygen deprivation, medications, subarachnoid hemorrhage, brain tumor, seizure disorders, electroconvulsive therapy, and head injuries (Nordqvist). On the other hand, other types of amnesia that are not caused by brain injury may be a result of sexual or physical abuse, being a victim of crimes, being involved in combat/war or being a victim or natural disaster and terrorism (Nordqvist). In other words, these kinds of amnesia is caused by psychological stress.
Treatments for Amnesia
Some forms of amnesia are actually treatable. For instance, if events and information from the past could not be remembered, a person may undergo EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. This aims to integrate two hemispheres of the brain in order to induce recalling of pieces of information from the past (Stoler). Cognitive therapy is another type of treatment for amnesia. This aims to improve thinking and thought patterns of the patient in order to retrieve loss memories (Stoler). Aside from these two treatment approaches, other types of treatment are also available depending on the type of amnesia and its cause.
Clive Wearing: A Man Who Lives With a 7-Second Memory
Unfortunately, not all people who develop amnesia can be treated. Based on records, Clive Wearing has the worst case of amnesia in the world. This is because his memory lasts only for less than a minute – usually around 7 seconds only. Before Clive wearing lost his memory, he was an accomplished musician (France). In 1985, he contracted a herpes virus which attacked parts of his brain that are essential for memory (France). The effect of the virus was so extreme that he developed two kinds of amnesia: anterograde and retrograde amnesia. This means that he can no longer recall any information from his past and he also does not have the ability to create new memories. For around 30 years, Clive is literally living in every moment. Surprisingly, he can only remember one part of his past, his wife, Deborah. In fact, he continuously long for her every single day, and France reports that “every time he sees her again, even if she's only been out of the room to make a cup of tea, he'll greet her with a rapturous hug.” He can still carry out a conversation with his wife, but his mind only resets before another minute begins. It is as if he keeps on waking up for the first time. Because of his condition, it became impossible for him to live alone with Deborah so he stayed in a home care facility where his wife visits him regularly (France). Despite his condition, Clive can still play the piano even if he could not remember playing one before. This is because the parts of his brain that are responsible for procedural memory (memory for skills and habits) were not damaged by the virus. Until this day, at the age of 78, Clive continuous to live with less than a minute memory.
Conclusion
Overall, forgetting things, places, and events can be a normal part of a person’s life from time to time. However, an extreme case of memory loss, known as amnesia, is not normal and this requires medical intervention. Different kinds of amnesia have different symptoms and causes. Luckily, there are already several forms of treatments that can help people regain their memories in the event that they loss it. However, not all cases of amnesia can be treated. This is true with the condition of Clive Wearing, the man who lives only with a memory that lasts for a few seconds. His life is a reminder of how precious memories are.
Works Cited
Anitei, Stefan. “Weird Brain: Prosopamnesia, When you Cannot Recognize Faces.” Softpedia. Softpedia, 26 July 2007. Web. 28 July 2016.
France, Louise. “The Death of Yesterday.” The Guardian. The Guardian, 23 January 2005. Web. 28 July 2016.
Kim, Steve. “Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome.” Healthline. Healthline, 10 December 2015. Web. 28 July 2016.
Lee, Hamin, Sungwon Roh, and Dai Jin Kim. “Alcohol-Induced Blackout.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 6 (2009): 2783-2792. Web. 28 July 2016.
Nordqvist, Christian. “Amnesia: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments.” MNT. MNT, 27 July 2015. Web. 28 July 2016.
Owen, D., B Paranandi, R Sivakumar, and M Seevaratnam. “Classical Diseases Revisited: Transient Global Amnesia.” Postgraduate Medical Journal 83.978 (2007): 236-239. Web. 28 July 2016.
Reed, Jonathan and Larry, Squire. “Retrograde Amnesia for Facts and Events: Findings From Four New Cases.” The Journal of Neuroscience 18.10 (1998): 3943-3954. Web. 28 July 2016.
Society for Research in Child Development. “Infantile Amnesia: Gauging Children’s Earliest Memories.” Science Daily. Science Daily, 11 May 2011. Web. 28 July 2016.
Talmi, Deborah, Jeremy Caplan, Brian Richards, and Morris Moscovitch. “Long-Term Regency in Anterograde Amnesia.” PLOS One 10.6 (2015): n. pag. Web. 28 July 2016.
