Antegrade Amnesia: Everything You Need To Know
Anterograde amnesia is a type of memory loss. Doctors sometimes refer to amnesia as amnesic syndrome . It is a frequent situation that can be caused by many reasons, such as trauma or drug abuse, among others.
Anterograde amnesia is widely used in movies or even novels. For example, in films like Memento, in which the protagonist suffered from this pathology. The problem is that this has led to confusion and misconceptions about the disorder. Therefore, in this article we explain everything you need to know.
What is anterograde amnesia?
Anterograde amnesia, as we have already noted, is a type of memory loss. What happens is that, from a certain moment, the person who suffers from it is unable to create new memories. That is, the events or experiences that you live disappear.
However, it is important to note that, contrary to what is explained in some movies or novels, these people do know who they are. What they cannot is store memories after the moment in which the amnesia developed.
How is it different from retrograde amnesia?
The difference between the two is that in retrograde, the person cannot remember what happened before the trigger for the disease. That is, while in the antegrade, previous memories are preserved, in the retrograde, they are not.
Take, for example, someone who was in a car accident. When it comes to retrograde amnesia you are unable to know what happened before then. However, if the amnesia is anterograde the problem will be when creating new memories.
Causes of anterograde amnesia
Anterograde amnesia is caused by brain damage. The lesion in question affects areas related to memory. Although the most common cause of this is head trauma, it is not the only possible etiology.
In fact, brain surgery can also cause it. Even taking certain medications or drugs has been associated with this pathology. Specifically, alcohol abuse has been shown to be associated with the development of anterograde amnesia.
Medications that can cause this temporarily are usually from the benzodiazepine families. Other situations, such as a very high fever or brain tumors can be the cause.
According to a study published in the Acta Neurológica Colombiana, the lesions that cause anterograde amnesia occur in the hippocampus, globes pallidus, and the frontal cerebral cortex. The thalamus, mammillary bodies, or trigone may also be affected.
Main symptoms or problems
The symptoms are not only limited to the inability to fix new memories. In addition to memory loss, it is very common for the patient to suffer confusion and disorientation, which can lead to strong anxiety.
These people often ask continuously where they are or who are those around them. This is explained in an article by the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Coding problems in antegrade amnesia
This disorder is complex to understand. Therefore, there are different hypotheses that try to explain the symptoms that appear. For example, one of them claims that what is happening is a coding problem.
That is, the stimuli and the information arrive correctly to the brain areas involved. However, the brain is unable to understand what these stimuli mean and associate them with each other.
In some cases, these people can remember new words. What they cannot is relate them to another term or to what they refer to.
Difficulty learning new things
This is one of the most disabling symptoms of anterograde amnesia. People who suffer from it cannot retain new information for long. For example, they remember something for a few hours, but are unable to keep that information forward.
Risk factors for antegrade amnesia
In the previous section we explained the main causes that can cause this pathology. In this way, the most important risk factors for developing it can be deduced. For example, not carrying enough security when driving, whether it is a car or any other vehicle.
The reason is that any situation that increases the risk of suffering a head injury acts as a risk factor. Brain surgery or strokes also increase the chance of suffering it. Finally, it is important to note that alcohol consumption is one of the most important factors.
Thus, it is clear that there are certain ways and habits that can help prevent amnesia. However, when dealing with accidents, what is reduced is the general risk, although there remains an always latent possibility of suffering them.
Can it be treated?
The truth is that anterograde amnesia can be treated, but it depends on what the cause is. Furthermore, it is not a simple approach, nor is there a specific drug. Strategies are created that help compensate for the memory deficit.
For example, technology is increasingly being used to help these patients. Through mobile applications you can get them to have a constant reminder of the most important things in their day to day.
On the other hand, therapy is one of the basic pillars of treatment. These people need support to be able to endure and learn to handle the situation and their emotions.
The despair of not creating new memories
This is a pathology in which the ability to create new memories is lost. It can be caused by a blow, surgery, or even the abuse of certain substances. The problem is that it affects all aspects of the life of those who suffer it.
For this reason, when someone suffers from this disease it is important that they have strong support, both from their family members and from a therapeutic team. The evolution is variable and there is no accurate prognosis that determines the modality and speed of healing.
