What is amnesia and types of amnesia

Amnesia It is a partial or total loss of memory caused by biological or functional causes. Biological causes may involve Damage to the brain related to trauma, disease or drug use, while functional causes can be caused by psychological defense mechanisms.

When a person suffers from amnesia, he can have Difficulty to remember past places or stages, as well as specific details. Other people, however, cannot remember new information, although they maintain their past intact memories.

Content

• Types of amnesia
  • 1. Anterograde amnesia
  • 2. Retrograde amnesia
  • 3. Transitory Global Amnesia
  • 4. Wernicke-Korsakoff psychosis
  • 5. Dissociative amnesia
  • 6. Child Amnesia
  • Bibliographic references

Types of amnesia

There are many types of amnesia depending on the causes and nature of disease progression. The main types of amnesia are anterograde amnesia and the retrograde amnesia, not being exclusive between them. Other types of amnesia are also recorded due to their specific and nature.

1. Anterograde amnesia

There is an anterograde amnesia when the patient is not able to remember new information. Recent events and information that must be stored in short -term memory to be converted into long -term memory disappear. However, the past events prior to the situation unleashed by amnesia can be remembered. Normally, this is the result of a brain trauma that wraps to the hippocampus, the form or the mamillary bodies, fundamental structures for our memory.

2. Retrograde amnesia

In retrograde amnesia, unlike in the previous one, there is a inability to remember events that occurred before this condition affected us, although if the events that have occurred later can be remembered. Especially, they are the events that have occurred just before the amnesia arrived those that are less remembered, while the oldest memories usually maintain. This can be given both for traumas and diseases that affect structures related to long -term memory such as hippocampus and temporal lobes. Both anterograde and retrograde amnesia can be suffered at the same time.

3. Transitory Global Amnesia

It is a total temporary loss of short -term memory And according to gravity, also of long -term memory. Person Stop remembering recent events or verbal information, unable to create new memories or evoke anything from what happened beyond the last minutes. However, the identity, language of language and perceptual, visual, spatial and social skills are kept preserved. This is very confusing and is usually accompanied by a state of anxiety, but it does not usually last more than a day. It is not a very frequent condition and usually occurs in people between 56 to 75 years, for multiple reasons such as cardiovascular problems, migraines or some kind of epileptic event.

4. Wernicke-Korsakoff psychosis

Wernicke-Korsakoff psychosis is a progressive memory loss due to prolonged alcohol. Generally, it is accompanied by Other neurological dysfunctions such as the loss of motor coordination or loss of sensitivity in feet and fingers. It can also be caused by malnutrition, specifically by the loss of Vitamin B1.

5. Dissociative amnesia

It is a type of amnesia in which the patient is unable to remember personal information perceived as negative or stressful. The causes of this type of amnesia are Psychological, They are not due to brain diseases or traumas. Normally patients do not experience an identity crisis, but live a trance in which they can develop a Intersonalization as effort to block a stressful experience.

It can be repressed memory, When there is no ability to access information about a traumatic event, although the information is stored in long -term memory.

There is talk of Dissociative leak o A leak state, when the person suffers a memory loss, including their identity, reaching traveling away from their family environment and even forming a new identity. They are the result of living traumatic or highly stressful situations. It is a very uncommon situation.

6. Child Amnesia

It is the inability to remember childhood events due to the immaturity of certain areas of the brain in their first stages. This amnesia usually covers those events that occurred from the birth of the person to their first four years of life.

If you or any acquaintance experience some of the symptoms of memory loss, do not hesitate to consult a professional.

Bibliographic references

• Serrano-Castro, p. J., Pérez-Sánchez, J. R., & González-Ramírez, A. R. (2015). Amnesia: Diagnostic and therapeutic approach. Neurology Magazine, 61 (2), 57-67.
• Rodríguez-Sánchez, J. M., García-Morales, i., López-Díaz, a. J., & Hernández-Martínez, to. (2019). Transitory Global Amnesia. Neurology, 34 (3), 207-213.
• Bass, m. T., Gómez-Ariza, c. J., & Miguelez-Polo, G. (2016). Amnesia: A review from psychology. Psychology Yearbook, 46 (1), 21-31.
• Gallo, d. TO., & Sullivan, to. L. (2017). Organic amnesia: a literature review. Neurology Magazine, 64 (8), 361-369.
• Díaz-Gálvez, a., & Flores-Gómez, G. D. (2019). Transitional postoperative amnesia. Mexican Anesthesiology Magazine, 42 (1), 71-75.
• Cano-García, f. J., & Rodríguez-Sánchez, J. M. (2017). Dissociative amnesia: a literature review. Neurology Magazine, 64 (11), 515-524.
• Ríos-Lago, m., & Fuentenebro-González, M. (2017). Hippocampus amnesia: etiology and clinical consequences. Neurology, 32 (5), 321-326.
• Quintana-Díaz, m., & Ortiz-García, N. (2018). Retrograde amnesia: a systematic review of literature. Neurology Magazine, 67 (11), 397-406.
• Serrano-Castro, p. J., Pérez-Sánchez, J. R., & González-Ramírez, A. R. (2017). Posttraumatic amnesia. Neurology Magazine, 65 (4), 154-161.
• García-Morales, i., Rodríguez-Sánchez, J. M., & López-Díaz, A. J. (2016). Lacunar amnesia: a literature review. Neurology, 31 (9), 593-598.