Do you know the characteristics, symptoms, and causes of 'forgetfulness'?

 

Forgetfulness is a disease in which the ability to recall past experiences or events is lost. Sometimes it is partially lost, sometimes it is completely lost. Although only a few known causes of forgetfulness are known, treatment is likely to improve it. This time, we will explain the symptoms, classification and cause of forgetfulness, as well as examination and treatment methods.

What is forgetfulness?

Forgetfulness is a disorder in which the ability to recall past experiences or events is lost. Memories that are lost vary from a few seconds ago to a few days ago or longer. Sometimes it is partially lost and sometimes it is completely lost. We only know a part of the mechanism by which forgetfulness occurs. Because memory involves different areas of the brain, damage to somewhere in the brain can lead to forgetfulness. The severity of the memory impairment depends on the extent of the damage that causes the forgetfulness.

Teach me the structure of human memory.

Memory is composed of three things: the name that brings new information, the information stored in the brain or the image or the encoding associated with the memory, and the recall of the memory. The frontal and temporal lobes mainly act on the storage of this information or the genitals. In addition, the hippocampus is particularly important for many parts of the brain to work. The hippocampus in the limbic system is involved in the formation and recall of memories and has the function of linking memories and emotions. In addition, the brain stem, which is involved in the maintenance of life, is also involved in memory.

It seems that there are various patterns even when it comes to memory.

As you said, memories are classified according to duration and classified according to content. Classification of memories according to duration is divided into short-term memories, which are memories of a few minutes, and long-term memories, which are remembered after long hours of concentration on other things or even after sleep. There are two classifications of memories according to the content: statement memories that come to mind consciously, and memory that does not rise to consciousness. Stated memory can be expressed or explained, and further divided into episodic memory and semantic memory. Episodic memory is the memory of life and the so-called memory. The frontal and temporal lobes are involved. Semantic memory is a memory related to study, such as the meaning of words, mathematical formulas, and laws of physics. The cerebral cortex is involved. On the other hand, reflected alcohol memory is a function such as driving a car or typing. Reflected alcohol memories are sensuous and difficult to express with words. The basal ganglia, cortical motors, or the cerebellum are involved.

Features of forgetfulness

What is forgetfulness?

Forgetfulness is primarily a disorder of episodic memory of statement memory. Incidentally, even if any of the three elements of memory, namely, encoding, and above, which were explained earlier, are impaired, memory impairment occurs. Memory disorders in forgetfulness are classified into three categories: 'Progressive forgetfulness', forgetting the event immediately after the cause occurs, 'regressive forgetfulness', forgetting about the event immediately before the cause, and 'sensory-specific forgetfulness' 'no see.

Symptoms and classification of forgetfulness

The main symptom of forgetfulness is memory impairment. Short-term memory, which records events that last for a few minutes, rather than losing all memories, is often impaired. Symptoms include not remembering appointments with people, not remembering what you ate today, and not remembering where you put your food. In addition, it becomes difficult to register and hold new ones. On the other hand, immediate memories or old memories are often recalled, such as answering by memorizing six-digit numbers on the fly or recalling memories from decades ago. These symptoms often interfere with daily life, such as work or housework, and are sometimes drawn to avoid confusion. The duration of these forgetfulness varies from a few minutes to several hours or longer, depending on the severity of the damage.

Is there a classification for forgetfulness?

Depending on the cause of forgetfulness, it can be divided into: These include 'transient' forgetfulness that occurs after head trauma, 'permanent' forgetfulness caused by diseases that affect a wide area of ​​the brain, such as stroke, and difficult to improve, and 'progressive' forgetfulness like Alzheimer's.

Causes of Forgetfulness

Head trauma and stroke, brain tumors and encephalitis, and diseases that cause brain damage and atrophy, such as Alzheimer's, are the main causes. Because memory involves a variety of brain regions, damage anywhere in the brain can lead to forgetfulness.

Damage to areas of the brain, such as the hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, and midnucleus, is particularly prone to forgetfulness. In addition, nutritional disorders such as thiamine deficiency, convulsive seizures, multiple sclerosis, use of drugs such as amphotericin B or lithium, carbon monoxide poisoning, alcohol abuse, and strong mental stress can cause forgetfulness.

If forgetfulness is suspected, which department should I see?

Please see the internal medicine department, psychiatric department, neurology department, etc. It is important to treat the disease that causes forgetfulness as soon as possible.

What tests are done if forgetfulness is suspected?

A simple question or neuropsychological test called a bedside test is done to evaluate memory impairment. The bedside test is a simple memory test, such as answering the location of a hidden object or recalling three words.

Neuropsychological tests do a test called the word list learning test. The cause and other necessary tests are often guessed based on the patient's symptoms or test results.

Are there gender differences or age differences in forgetfulness?

There are currently no reliable reports of gender or age differences in forgetfulness. It is thought to be more likely in patients with brain-related diseases such as head trauma or encephalitis, or in patients with alcohol use disorders.

How to treat forgetfulness

The causative disease can be identified, and the disease can be treated if possible. As the underlying disease improves, the period of lost memory is shortened or the entire memory gradually returns. However, it cannot be said that forgetfulness is improved by treatment of the underlying disease. Even if the disease causing the forgetfulness improves with treatment, the forgetfulness may or may not improve. Conversely, there are people whose memories come back on their own without treatment.

organize

Forgetfulness is a disorder in which the ability to recall past experiences or events is lost, but the mechanism by which forgetfulness occurs is only partially known. Because memory involves different areas of the brain, damage to somewhere in the brain can lead to forgetfulness. In forgetfulness, episodic memory, the memory of life, is often impaired. In most cases, short-term memory is lost for a few minutes, while immediate or distant memories are often recalled. I can't remember my appointment with someone, I can't remember what I had for dinner today, etc. Head trauma and stroke, brain tumors and encephalitis, and diseases that cause brain damage and atrophy, such as Alzheimer's, are the main causes. Treating these diseases is also important in treating forgetfulness.

However, even if treatment improves the disease causing the forgetfulness, the forgetfulness may or may not improve. Conversely, there are people whose memories come back on their own without treatment. It is important to treat the disease that causes forgetfulness as soon as possible, so if you have symptoms such as forgetfulness, please see a psychiatrist, psychiatrist, or neurologist as soon as possible.