What is amnesia, its types, causes and memory restoration

Amnesia is a memory disorder characterized by loss of information about an event or action. Such disorders occur in people of any age for various reasons. Retrograde amnesia is characterized by the loss of memories that precede mental pathology or unconsciousness. The disorder is diagnosed by a psychiatrist. He examines the patient and identifies possible causes of memory impairment. Therapy is aimed at eliminating the consequences of the primary disease and improving brain function with the help of medications and psychotherapy.

Memory and its types

Memorizing information and its subsequent reproduction is associated with two parts of the brain: the cortex and subcortical structures. There are two main types of memory in humans:

1. Short-term, capable of storing any information for 2-5 minutes. This type of memory is associated with the frontal and parietal areas of the cerebral cortex and can be impaired as a result of anesthesia, electroshock exposure and the use of substances that affect consciousness (alcohol, drugs).
2. Long-term, allowing you to store information for decades. This type of memory is impaired in organic pathologies: tumors of the central nervous system, after strokes or traumatic brain injuries. Long-term memories are not affected by the action of alcoholic beverages or any medications on the body.

Dividing memories into two types is important for differential diagnosis of memory disorders. Thus, when predominantly short-term memories are lost, it is necessary to exclude factors that can disrupt the functioning of this particular type of memory - alcohol intoxication, drug addiction, etc. If violations of long-term memory mechanisms appear, the patient is examined, including neuroimaging methods: EEG, magnetic resonance imaging, etc. .

Diagnostics

Amnesia is (in psychology this disease is subject to comprehensive study) a special state of human consciousness, the diagnosis of which requires the use of the following examination methods:

• consultation and examination by a psychiatrist, psychologist, neurologist, neurologist;

• electroencephalographic study of the state of the structure and cortex of the brain, which makes it possible to detect even minimal changes in the central nervous system;
• MRI to obtain detailed images of individual segments of the brain;
• CT, which visualizes the structure and condition of the tissues of the central nervous system, makes it possible to assess their functional state (this type of study can be carried out using a contrast agent);
• biochemical analysis of venous blood;
• examination by a psychotherapist using the method of hypnosis, in which the patient is able to remember life events that caused memory loss.

Carrying out a comprehensive diagnosis using instrumental, laboratory and psychoanalytic methods is a prerequisite for the examination. In this case, doctors are able to identify that the patient actually has organic or psychogenic amnesia. The average cost of general diagnostics ranges from 10 to 15 thousand rubles.

The occurrence of pathology

The causes of retrograde amnesia are associated with mental diseases and organic brain lesions. Memory disorders are detected after stroke, traumatic brain injury and encephalitis. About a third of all cases of acute pathology are associated with intoxication of the body due to alcoholism, since the breakdown products of ethyl alcohol have a pronounced toxic effect on the structures of the central nervous system. The chronic version of retrograde amnesia is associated with slowly progressive brain diseases: tumors, atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries, epilepsy and degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Pick's, etc.

A specific type of disorder is the occurrence of retrograde amnesia after anesthesia. Almost every person who has undergone general anesthesia has encountered a similar situation. The patient ceases to remember the last few minutes preceding the drug-induced “sleep”. This condition is not classified as a pathology, but is explained as a consequence of the administration of drugs that provide anesthesia.

Memory disorders can be hysterical in nature. In this case, in middle-aged women, against the background of psychological arousal, a loss of memories of the events preceding the hysteria occurs. Similar conditions are observed in patients with mental illnesses accompanied by mania or major depression.

Consequences

Retrograde amnesia causes not so much physical as psychological discomfort. It is difficult for the patient to communicate with loved ones. Difficulties in socialization lead to depression, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

During recovery, memories return gradually in chronological order. Thus, the forgotten period is shortened.

Interesting: Causes, treatment and symptoms of dissociated amnesia

In case of injuries and poisonings, the last minutes or seconds before the negative impact do not have time to leave traces that form long-term memory, so upon recovery the patient will not remember this period.

Types of amnesia

Retrograde amnesia is not the only type of memory disorder. Psychiatrists distinguish several types of the disease, differing in the time of occurrence of memory loss:

• the anterograde type is characterized by the loss of memories of events that immediately followed the restoration of consciousness (it is important to note that during this time period the person makes contact, answers questions, can perform actions, however, information about this is gradually lost);
• the congrade variant corresponds to the loss of events at the time of disturbance of consciousness (it is believed that the patient loses the ability to perceive and record incoming information);
• with fixation amnesia, the patient cannot remember new information; this condition is typical for patients with vascular diseases of the brain, for example, atherosclerosis.

Different types of disorders can occur in the same patient, since traumatic brain injury, stroke and other pathological conditions are characterized by severe disruption of the brain.

All cases of retrograde amnesia are divided depending on the nature of the loss of information:

• complete amnesia is manifested by the loss of all memories of the period preceding the disturbance of consciousness;
• the partial form is characterized by the preservation of fragments of memory and vague images, however, spatio-temporal relationships are disrupted;
• temporary amnesia, which occurs against the background of a traumatic brain injury or after acute alcohol intoxication, affects only the period preceding the main disorder (various parts of memories are lost - from a few seconds to months);
• a permanent variant of the disorder is observed in encephalitis, vascular pathology of the central nervous system, in the post-stroke period, i.e., it is associated with organic damage to the brain.

Determining a specific variant and the reasons for its occurrence allows doctors to select effective therapy and reduce the risks of disease progression.

Clinical manifestations

The main symptom of retrograde amnesia is the loss of memory of an event that preceded the loss of consciousness as a result of injury or other illness. In addition, the patient may have other clinical manifestations associated with the underlying diseases: movement disorders, mania, seizures, etc.

With a concussion, the pathology is characterized by the disappearance of memory of events that preceded the injury. At the same time, the patient maintains adequacy, enters into verbal contact with the doctor, and spatial-temporal orientation is also preserved. If amnesia is severe, then speech and orientation are impaired.

Korsakov's syndrome is a special variant of amnesia that occurs in patients after alcoholic delirium and other intoxications. With this type of disorder, lost memories are replaced with false ones (confabulations). Confabulations are related to the main event, however, they contain information about other people, place and time. With repeated cases of intoxication, the severity of disturbances in Korsakov's syndrome increases.

With retrograde memory impairment, the patient retains correct ideas about the distant past and general knowledge about the world, surrounding people, etc. As a rule, such a condition covers a period of time from several seconds to a couple of minutes. The person continues to clearly remember all the events before and after the lost memories.

With the progression of brain diseases (tumors of the central nervous system, vascular disorders, etc.), clinical manifestations worsen. Memory lapses begin to cover large time fragments, and the patient begins to forget information related to specific skills and knowledge. In such a case, memory, attention and other cognitive abilities may be impaired.

Causes

Retrograde amnesia manifests itself in situations such as skull injuries that provoke concussion and memory loss. Retrograde amnesia is provoked by trauma of varying degrees of complexity. Acute infectious disorders, when herpetic encephalitis develops, a disorder in the hippocampus region appears after the herpes virus enters this area along the olfactory tract.

Encephalopathy - the principle of brain damage in this disorder has not been fully determined, but it is known that retrograde amnesia is often provoked by a lack of pitamines. Poisoning with clonidine or carbons. Problems of blood supply to the nervous system, ischemia, lack of oxygen. Suffocation occurs as a result of hypoxia.

New growths of varying quality. Electrical shock injuries accompanied by respiratory arrest. Epilepsy. Amnesia affects the period of epileptic seizures. Psychoses. Korsakovsky kindrom, not caused by alcohol consumption. Emotional shock - under the influence of stress, patients develop dissociative amnesia, which is often retrograde in nature. Various mental disorders.

Retrograde amnesia is included in Korsakoff's syndrome, which occurs under the following conditions: alcoholism, vitamin deficiency, malignant tumors, AIDS, Pick's disorders, Alzheimer's, degenerative dementias.

Diagnostic measures

Retrograde amnesia is detected using the following diagnostic algorithm:

1. The psychiatrist talks with the patient, identifying the degree of memory impairment and concomitant mental disorders. Taking an anamnesis allows us to establish a previous traumatic brain injury, alcohol intoxication and other possible causes.
2. The state of memory is assessed using special tests aimed at studying the patient’s ability to fix information and reproduce it.
3. To assess the condition of the brain, instrumental examination methods are used: computer and magnetic resonance imaging, EEG, X-ray examination of the skull, ultrasound of blood vessels.
4. All patients undergo a clinical and biochemical blood test and a general urine test. Methods are necessary to assess health status and identify associated diseases.
5. If necessary, the patient is referred for consultation with a narcologist, neurosurgeon, infectious disease specialist and other specialists.

The data obtained during diagnosis should be interpreted only by the attending physician. Attempts at self-diagnosis followed by self-medication can lead to the progression of the underlying pathology and the development of negative consequences.

Treatment approaches

Treatment of retrograde amnesia involves eliminating the causes and signs of the underlying pathology. For this purpose, various medications can be used:

• drugs that improve cerebral circulation: Curantil, Actovegin, Cerebrolysin, etc.;
• nootropics (Phenotropil, Piracetam) and neuroprotectors – Glycine and Ginkgo Biloba;
• antioxidant medications – Tocopherol, Dihydroquercetin, etc.;
• B vitamins.

Any medications are prescribed to the patient after his examination and identification of existing indications and contraindications for use. If you are intolerant to certain drugs, you should avoid them and choose analogues.

In cases where the patient has organic lesions of internal organs, a consultation is scheduled with an appropriate specialist who selects therapy. For example, in case of hypertension, which is a risk factor for stroke, an examination by a cardiologist is indicated and antihypertensive drugs are prescribed (Enalapril, Equator, etc.). For brain tumors that lead to compression of its structures and memory impairment, the main method of treatment is surgery. Depending on the location of the formation, different types of operations are used.

Severe memory impairment, as well as the presence of concomitant mental disorders, is an indication for psychotherapy and social rehabilitation.

Treatment

Retrograde amnesia is often a reversible process. This is due to the fact that with such memory problems, problems arise with the reproduction of information; perception and storage do not cause difficulties. Psychotherapy allows lost episodes to be resumed . Electrical stimulation of the brain is used to treat retrograde amnesia.

To fully restore memory, you need to fight the cause of the disease. For this purpose, drugs are prescribed that stabilize blood circulation in the brain, nootropic drugs, and hypotensive drugs. When tumors appear, surgery must be performed. To avoid complications, it is better to give up alcohol and cigarettes.

Forecast

Retrograde amnesia is not an independent disease, but reflects other mental and neurological diseases. In this regard, the prognosis for the patient is determined by the underlying cause and the effectiveness of its treatment. With early detection of memory disorders and comprehensive treatment, the prognosis is favorable. In this case, the symptoms do not progress, and memory is restored as a result of the use of medications and psychotherapy.

If a patient does not seek medical help for a long time due to chronic intoxication or brain pathology, then amnesia progresses, capturing new areas of memories. Memory and other cognitive functions gradually decline, which may be unnoticeable to the person himself due to a decrease in self-criticism. In case of severe damage to the central nervous system as a result of a major stroke or traumatic injury, restoration of function requires long-term, multi-year therapy.

With retrograde amnesia associated with alcohol intoxication and drug addiction, a mandatory point of treatment is the elimination of addiction. For this, the patient is recommended to undergo rehabilitation in special centers.

Prevention options

You can prevent the development of retrograde amnesia and other types of memory impairment by following the recommendations of psychiatrists:

1. Traumatic brain injuries caused by carelessness during professional activities or sports should be avoided.
2. Do not drink alcohol or drugs, as they can lead to severe intoxication and impaired brain function.
3. Nutrition should be rational and contain the required amount of vitamins and microelements. For this purpose, the amount of fruits, vegetables and berries in the diet is increased.
4. If you have somatic diseases (atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries, dyscirculatory disorders, etc.), you should promptly seek medical help and adhere to the treatment selected by your doctor.

A healthy lifestyle and preventive medical examinations reduce the risk of neurological and mental disorders, including various types of amnesia.

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