The terror of AMNESIA (Memory loss)

Amnesia , we always hear this in every movie, serials and etc. As we all know what it is?Yes, it's a type disorder in which the individual looses all his past memory.

According to Stedman’s Medical Dictionary amnesia is defined as "a disturbance in the memory of information stored in long-term memory, in contrast to short-term memory, manifested by total or partial inability to recall past experiences."

But some people with amnesia will loose only bits and pieces of memory. Some will loose their entire memory of past. Whereas some people will lose only memory of certain period , like they would have lost memory of past 2 or 3 yrs only.

There are different types of amnesia , I will discuss about them below.

• Anterograde amnesia: People with this amnesia won’t be able to remember the ongoing event , after the trauma.
• Retrograde amnesia: Individual will not be able to remember the incidents that occurred before the trauma.
• Emotional/hysterical amnesia: The individual’s memory loss will be temporary, soon he/she can retain her past memory.
• Lacunar amnesia: They won’t be able to remember a specific event.
• Korsakoff syndrome:They would have lost memory due to chronic alcoholism.
• Posthypnotic amnesia:Memory loss sustained in a hypnotic state. They won’t be able to recall the events that took place during the hypnotic session.
• Transient global amnesia:This can last for several minuets to hour. It can be seen fro  middle aged people to elderly people.

Amnesia is also a symptom of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Amnesia can also be caused due to certain drugs like cocaine, LSD, PCP, mescaline etc. Certain medicine like aminophylline, barbiturates, bromide, digoxin, diuretics, isoniazid, methyldopa, and tricyclic antidepressants, can also lead to transient global amnesia.

(They above is the pic of 46 year old Claire Robertson , who suffered from brain damage for the past 6 months. And got her memory back through a simple camera.)

They show symptoms like loss of memory, disorientation in time and space, feeling difficulty in learning or recalling information, lack of insight to their memory loss.

Usually the patients are asked about previous brain injury, which many be a cause for this disorder.The patient’s are analyzed well and suitable treatments are provided depending upon each patient’s level or type of amnesia.

There is no effective treatment proven to cure amnesia.But it is reported many patients have recovered slowly. Some who suffer amnesia due to alcoholic abuse are treated with thiamine to stop the development of this disorder.

All disease has cure. So does Amnesia.