What is Amnesia? Amnesia Symptoms and Treatment

Amnesia refers to the distress experienced by an individual in accessing the information stored in his brain. A rare condition, amnesia is a popular topic in many movies and books. Everyone can experience a moment of forgetfulness from time to time. However, forgetfulness is a completely different situation from amnesia. In amnesia, there is a great loss of information that should not be forgotten. Important points of life, important events, people we meet in key roles in our lives and important information about life are among the memory problems that can be experienced with amnesia. What does amnesia mean and you can find answers to many other questions on this subject in the rest of the article.

What is Amnesia?

Amnesia refers to the loss of memory related to facts, various information and experiences. Individuals with amnesia in movies and books often have problems with their personalities, but this is not the case in real-life amnesia. The occurrence of amnesia can occur due to damage to various structures in the brain that are involved in the processing of memory. Since amnesias other than temporary memory loss (transient global amnesia) attacks can be permanent, one should be conscious. In addition to the difficulty in remembering the past, individuals with amnesia may also have problems in cognitive functions such as processing new information in the brain or planning for the future. This situation may also indicate that the plans for the future are shaped by the experiences we have had in the past. There is currently no specific treatment for amnesia. However, learning memory-enhancing techniques and receiving psychological support can make it easier for both individuals and families to cope with amnesia.

What are the Types of Amnesia?

Types of amnesia are divided into many subtypes within themselves. What these types of amnesia are and their characteristics can be summarized as follows:

• Retrograde Amnesia

Individuals with retrograde amnesia have difficulty remembering previously formed memories. This type of amnesia generally tends to affect recently formed memories. Older memories are generally unaffected. brew Diseases associated with ans and dementia may gradually cause the development of retrograde amnesia.

• Anterograde Amnesia

People suffering from this type of amnesia have lost the ability to form new memories. This memory loss may be a temporary condition after excessive alcohol consumption, or it may occur permanently after damage to the hippocampus, the area in the brain responsible for memory. People with anterograde amnesia due to trauma can remember information and events before the event. Individuals who develop this type of amnesia experience memory loss in the form of recurrent episodes of confusion and agitation, but lasting for several hours. Individuals with transient global amnesia who develop amnesia for the pre-attack period do not have any memories of the attack. Scientists think that this type of short-term memory loss is caused by a seizure-like brain activity or a short-term blockage in the blood vessels responsible for feeding the brain. Transient global amnesia occurs especially in middle-aged and older individuals.

• Infantile Amnesia

Individuals with infantile amnesia have difficulty recalling memories of early childhood. The underlying cause of this situation may be problems that occur during language development in childhood.

• Traumatic Amnesia

Traumatic amnesia, which can occur as a result of heavy blows to the head region, occurs especially in individuals who have experienced severe trauma such as traffic accidents. In addition to sudden memory loss, short-term loss of consciousness or coma may develop in these people. Although traumatic amnesias are usually temporary in nature, the duration of memory loss may vary depending on the severity of the trauma.

• Wernicke-Korsakoff Psychosis

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which occurs with long-term excessive alcohol use, is a cause of memory loss that tends to worsen over time. Loss of coordination or tingling in the fingers in people other than memory loss This health problem, accompanied by neurological symptoms such as tingling and numbness, occurs due to vitamin B1 deficiency due to high-dose alcohol use for a long time.

What are the Causes of Amnesia?

Any history of brain-related illness or trauma may affect memory-related functions. Functions related to memory and recall are functions that are associated with many parts of the brain. Amnesia may develop in brain structures that affect the limbic system, especially the hippocampus and thalamus. Medical reasons that may result in amnesia other than trauma can be summarized as follows:

• Stroke

• Inflammation (inflammation) in the brain tissue, which is expressed as encephalitis
• Oxygen deficiency due to heart attack, respiratory problems or carbon monoxide poisoning
• After the use of various drugs
• Bleeding in the membranes between the skull and the brain
• Presence of a brain tumor that interferes with memory-related functions
• Some seizures Diseases progressing with
• Electroconvulsive therapy applications
Apart from medical amnesia causes, amnesia may develop as a result of various psychological events. This memory loss, which is usually caused by an emotional shock, can occur as a result of witnessing a serious crime, being abused, engaging in military combat, natural disasters or acts of terrorism. This situation, which is expressed as dissociative amnesia, causes the development of amnesia at different levels depending on the degree of stress of the event. There are:
• Problems with processing new information
• Difficulty remembering past events
Individuals with amnesia usually have short-term memory There are related problems. Apart from the loss of recently processed information, some people may also have difficulty remembering past memories and experiences.

There are many other signs and symptoms that can accompany amnesia: Recollection of unreal memories or when the concepts of time or space in the memories are really different

• Difficulty creating coordinated movement or trembling

• Confusion

• Difficulty recognizing faces and places

It should be noted that amnesia is a memory loss that works differently from dementia. In addition to the memory loss that occurs in dementia, there are many other neurological symptoms that make the person's daily life quite challenging.

How Is Amnesia Treatment?

Many cases of amnesia can go away on their own without any treatment. However, in the presence of underlying physical or mental problems, it is important for individuals to receive medical treatment. The treatment method applied differs according to the type of these underlying conditions. Psychotherapy practices contribute to the resolution of memory problems in some individuals.

Detoxification of alcohol and other substances can be beneficial in the type of amnesia triggered by chemical substances. With the removal of drugs or alcohol from the body, a significant improvement in memory problems may occur.

Amnesia caused by a moderate head injury is a condition that can pass over time. However, if the trauma is quite severe, people may also develop permanent amnesia. With early diagnosis and appropriate intervention, amnesias due to head trauma usually regress within 6-9 months. During these sessions, people can gain useful habits on how to process new information or continue their daily lives.

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