Definition
Under a retrograde amnesia (lat. retrograde: “spatially and temporally receding”, Greek. Amnesia: “loss of memory“) refers to a loss of memory, or the lack of memory and awareness of things and experiences that took place shortly before a certain event, e.g. an accident.
After a severe trauma, for example, the affected person cannot remember the course of the accident and this past information is missing. The memory loss usually only covers a short period of time before the triggering event. The extent of the memory gap does not necessarily have to be related to the severity of the damage.
Causes
In order to accurately measure the extent of memory loss, a thorough examination using specific and sensitive test procedures is necessary. This is the responsibility of the professionally qualified neuropsychologist, who, in addition to memory performance, should also examine other cognitive functions such as attention or executive functions (i.e. all higher mental processes that are important for targeted action control). In most cases, in addition to retrograde amnesia, there are also other disorders in other brain functions.
In addition to the doctor’s consultation (anamnesis) and the various test procedures, imaging also plays a role in clarifying and correlating the extent of the brain damage. Among other things, the cause of retrograde amnesia can be determined by imaging a mass or lesions in different areas of the brain using CT or MRI. Finally, by measuring brain waves using EEG (electroencephalography), e.g. epilepsy can be detected as the cause of amnesia.
Associated symptoms
Depending on the cause of the retrograde amnesia, different accompanying symptoms may be possible, which are either present at the time of the memory loss or may arise afterwards due to the strain of the memory gap. Thus, in the wake of a trauma or accident, it is not uncommon for many other damages and complaints to occur, such as broken bones or injuries to internal organs or massive blood loss, which can lead to shock. Frequently, amnesia is accompanied by nausea, vomiting and headaches at the time of the event, or afterwards confusion and disorientation to the respective situation.
If the epilepsy is the cause of the amnesia, the symptoms of the seizure are accompanied by a loss of body control, convulsions, involuntary cramps and a loss of consciousness. Typically, the person affected does not remember the seizure or the time shortly before it. Furthermore, in almost all dementia diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, memory loss, concentration disorders and orientation and attention problems occur in addition to the symptoms specific to the disease. The amnesia with memory gaps can put a great deal of psychological strain on the person affected, so that a depressed, depressed mood can be observed when accompanied by a person with the disease.
