The Amnesias: A Clinical Textbook of Memory DisordersThis concise but comprehensive text provides a systematic account of the memory disorders, whether they result from psychological stress, traumatic injury, stroke, or degenerative disease of the brain. The major amnesia syndromes are covered in consistently organized chapters that give a clear description of the clinical signs and symptoms, predisposing factors, prevalence and prognosis, pathophysiology to the extent that it is known, diagnostic approaches including tests used to evaluate the disorders, and therapeutic efforts. The book's emphasis is on facts rather than theory, and readers from a variety of disciplines will appreciate its clear, jargon-free, well-organized assessment of the state of knowledge about the memory disorders. These disciplines include neurobiology, neuropsychology, psychiatry, cognitive neuroscience, rehabilitation medicine, and gerontology. Even theorists will find the book useful since any theory of memory and its neurophysiological mechanisms must be constrained by the facts of amnesia if it is to be considered complete. The book's clearcut scheme of organization will enhance its value and user-friendliness. It divides the amnesias into three types: progressive, permanent, and transient. The first type includes amnesias associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and with vascular dementias, contrasting them with memory decline resulting from normal aging. The second type consists of classic amnesic syndromes associated with limbic lesions of various etiologies such as Korsakoff's encephalopathy and traumatic brain injuries. The third type includes transient global, transient epileptic, and ECT-induced amnesias as well as the reversible psychogenic amnesias associated with dissociative and fugue states. These discussions are preceded by two introductory chapters that define the mnemonic and amnesic phenomena, classify the various memory systems and functions, and describe the putative brain circuitry underlying these functions, including molecular mechanisms, neurotransmitter systems, and the effects of stress-related hormones and drugs, with the aid of magnetic resonance images and anatomical drawings. |
Contents
| 3 | |
2 Putative Brain Mechanisms of the Various Memory Function | 30 |
3 AgeRelated Memory Decline | 57 |
4 Amnesia Associated with the Dementias | 75 |
5 Semantic Amnesia | 111 |
6 Limbic Amnesia | 130 |
7 Traumatic Amnesia | 156 |
8 Transient Global Amnesia | 171 |
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Common terms and phrases
ability activity addition affected amnesia amnesic anterograde appears areas assessment associated attention basal brain cause changes Chapter clinical cognitive common complex concepts consists cortex damage decline deficits dementia depression developed difficulty disease disorder dissociative early elderly encoding episodic memory et al evidence experiences fact Figure frontal functions hippocampus Hodges impairment implicit improvement increase indicate individuals injury involve knowledge learning lesions less limbic loss meaning measure mechanisms medial temporal memory deficits memory functions names neuronal neuropsychological normal nucleus objects observed occur onset operations patients performance period persons present primary memory problems processes progressive questions range recall receptors recognition regions relatively remains remember reported requires response retrieval retrograde Scale scores seizures semantic semantic memory severe specific structures studies symptoms syndrome tasks temporal lobe tests tion traces treatment types typically verbal visual