The Different Types Of Amnesia (and Their Characteristics)
The amnesia It is a disorder that affects the normal functioning of memory and makes the sufferer unable to store information or retrieve it correctly.
However, beyond this cursory definition there are many nuances that mean we have to talk, more about amnesia as a global concept, about types of amnesia.
Amnesia can occur in so many forms that studies of certain lesions and dysfunctions in different parts of the brain has led to the discovery of the mechanisms that operate behind the use of memory based on the different types of amnesia that occur.
Furthermore, this phenomenon may be caused by injuries or by the “emotional imprint” that certain experiences have left on the brain, causing some memories to be blocked. This means that the types of amnesia can also be established based on the different causes that produce them. In this way, it has been seen that what appears to be a simple cognitive function based simply on the storage of information is, in reality, the result of several processes working at the same time.
In this article We will show the different types of amnesia, their characteristics and criteria by which they can be classified into different categories.
If we look at the criterion of the chronology in which amnesia manifests itself, we will distinguish between two types of amnesia: the retrograde and the anterograde. This classification only serves to describe the symptoms of amnesia, and does not give information about what causes it. Furthermore, both types of amnesia can occur at the same time, although one is often more noticeable than the other.
1.1. retrograde amnesia
In retrograde amnesia the experiences that are not remembered happened before the disorder began to develop. It is the best known type of amnesia and captured in series, movies and other works of fiction in which a character does not remember a part of their past.
1.2. Anterograde amnesia
In this type of amnesia there is a total or partial inability to make the experiences that are lived remain fixed in memory. That is, anterograde amnesia, by affecting what has been happening since the disorder first developed, means that what is experienced does not become part of the long-term memory and is forgotten after a few minutes or seconds.
An example of this type of amnesia can be seen in the famous film Memento.
2. Types of amnesia according to their causes
2.1. global amnesia
This type of amnesia consists of total memory loss although normally the most important memories related to one’s identity will be preserved. Among its most probable causes is the possibility that a traumatic event has altered the normal functioning of the brain.
2.2. childhood amnesia
It consists of the inability to remember events experienced in childhood. Despite its name, this type of amnesia is not considered a disorder, as it is common and is part of the normal development of the nervous system as we grow.
Type of amnesia produced by the administration of substances that affect the functioning of the brain, causing the events that happen at that moment to not be remembered. It may be a side effect of a drug or it may be the purpose for which a substance has been administered. for therapeutic purposes during, for example, surgery.
2.4. Transient global amnesia
It is not known what causes this type of amnesia, only its symptoms. The person who experiences transient global amnesia will remember essential aspects about his or her identity and will also be able to remember things about the immediate past, but will have difficulty accessing memories about what happened just a few minutes ago (anterograde amnesia) and possibly also when remembering some things belonging to long-term memory. This will happen for 24 hours or less.
2.5. Dissociative amnesia
In dissociative amnesia, one is unable to evoke memories related to highly stressful or traumatic experiences. One of the types of amnesia that generates the most interest.
2.6. Source amnesia
In this type of amnesia There are certain facts or pieces of information that are remembered more or less well although it is not possible to know what their source is, how we came to know about them.
2.7. lacunar amnesia
The inability to remember what happened during a given period in which there was no significant stress spike. It is called this way because it leaves a blank “gap” in memory.
2.8. post-traumatic amnesia
Post-traumatic or traumatic amnesia is a type of amnesia caused by a blow to the head or a traumatic brain injury in general. It is usually transitory and affects memories of the immediate past. Post-traumatic amnesia should not be confused with the forms of amnesia that appear as a result of traumatic experiences.
This type of amnesia, very common in cases of dementia, the person can realize that they are in a place without remembering how they got there. Furthermore, in dissociative fugue, it is very common that aspects of one’s own identity are not remembered, causing the person to undertake a more or less long journey to remember who they are.
2.10. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
Although it is not a type of amnesia in itself, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a set of symptoms in which memory disorders play a very important role. Among its most common symptoms is ora combination of retrograde and anterograde amnesia and confabulation that is, the involuntary invention of stories that serve to “fill in” memory gaps. It is usually caused by alcoholism.
