Amnesia is More Than Forgetting

Do you have amnesia after a brain injury?

What is amnesia?

Amnesia is a form of significant memory loss. Amnesia is memory loss of facts, information, and experiences. Sometimes in movies, people with amnesia do not remember who they are. This is usually not the case in real life. People with amnesia know who they are but have trouble remembering facts and learning new information.

What are the types of amnesia?

Amnesia can be either retrograde or anterograde. With retrograde amnesia, you forget what happened before the event that caused the memory loss. You are generally able to remember meanings, but struggle to remember specific events or situations. More recent memories are usually lost first. More ingrained or long-term memories are less likely to be lost.

With anterograde amnesia you struggle to remember things that happen after the event that caused the memory loss. Anterograde amnesia leads to difficulty storing and recalling new information. You struggle to learn new information and to convert your short-term experiences into long-term memory.

The major difference between retrograde amnesia and anterograde amnesia is the following: Retrograde amnesia is the inability to recall memories while anterograde amnesia is the inability to create new memories.

When people have memory loss from brain injury, they generally lose the ability to remember events and facts. They usually do not lose their procedural memories, which allow us to perform functions such as operating a cell phone or riding a bike.

What is post-traumatic amnesia?

Post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) is the time after a brain injury when the person is conscious and awake but does not remember day to day events. They cannot remember what happened a few hours or even a few minutes ago. The person may recognize family and friends but not know that they are in the hospital or have had an injury. They may also act confused, agitated and distressed.

PTA is a stage of recovery that the person goes through after the injury and is a phase that will pass. During this stage of recovery, avoid too much stimulation and keep a peaceful and quiet environment.

How can you improve amnesia?

There are no medications available for the treatment of amnesia. But working with a cognitive therapist can help you develop strategies and use technology to deal with the memory struggles.