Posttraumatic
amnesia is a memory disruption following injury, such as a
blow to the head. Often, the injury leads to a period of coma
(unconsciousness) which can last a few seconds or minutes
or, in severe cases, can last weeks. When consciousness is
recovered, the patient typically experiences a period of confusion.
When the confusion clears, testing may reveal that the patient
has a permanent retrograde
amnesia for the events leading up to the injury and a
permanent anterograde
amnesia for events which followed the injury (e.g. during
the period of confusion). The window of amnesia may be limited
to a few minutes before and after the injury, or may be more
extensive. Outside this window, memory for prior and subsequent
events is normal.
Further Reading:
L. Squire & E. Kandel (2000) Memory:
From Mind to Molecules. New York: Scientific American
Library.
Article : "REMEMBER
TO SMELL THE ROSES"
by Catherine E. Myers. Copyright © 2006 Memory Loss and the Brain |
