Is Amnesia And Dementia The Same

What Are Some Famous Examples Of People With Amnesia

Henry Molaison, known as HM, is frequently mentioned in discussions of memory due to the lessons learned based on his participation in scientific research. After the removal of parts of his medial temporal lobes during an operation to stop epileptic seizures, HM became unable to create many types of memories and lost much of his memory from before the operationeven as other cognitive abilities remained intact. Among other things, his case provided evidence of the critical role of structures such as the hippocampus in memory. Clive Wearing, a musician, developed severe retrograde and anterograde amnesia and reportedly loses memories after about half a minute or less.

Are There Different Types Of Amnesia

There are many different names for amnesia and amnesia syndromes. Here are a few common terms you may encounter:

• Retrograde Amnesia: Describes amnesia where you cant recall memories that were formed before the event that caused the amnesia. It usually affects recently stored past memories, not memories from years ago.
• Anterograde Amnesia: Describes amnesia where you cant form new memories after the event that caused the amnesia. Anterograde amnesia is far more common than retrograde.
• Post-traumatic Amnesia: This is amnesia that occurs immediately after a significant head injury. It may involve retrograde amnesia, anterograde amnesia, or both.
• Transient Global Amnesia: A temporary syndrome where you experience both retrograde and anterograde amnesia. Memory loss is sudden and only lasts up to 24 hours.
• Infantile Amnesia: This is the term used to describe the fact that people cant recall memories of events from early childhood. Few people have memories from before the ages of three to five because the brain areas that support memory are still developing.
• Dissociative Amnesia/Psychogenic Amnesia: A mental health disorder where you experience amnesia after a significant trauma. You block out both personal information and the traumatic incident from your memory.

Day Fianc’s Juliana & Michael Are Adopting Kids From Brazil

90 Day Fiancé’s Juliana Custodio and Michael Jessen just confirmed that they are adopting two children from Brazil together, her niece and nephew.

Stars of 90 Day Fiancé, Juliana Custodio and Michael Jessen just confirmed that they are adopting two children from Brazil together. The couple, who are in the process of marrying on season 7 of the hit TLC show, are about to expand their family with two more beautiful children from Juliana’s home country of Brazil.

41-year-old Michael met 23-year-old Brazilian born Juliana at a yacht party in Croatia when the model was only 20-years-old. They say there was an instant attraction and fell in love. When Juliana’s tourist visa was denied, they decided to turn to the K-1 visa process so Now that Juliana is finally in America, she’s learning to be step-mother to Michael’s two young children Maxwell and CeCe while co-parenting with Michael’s ex-wife Sarah. Though the biggest issue on season 7 of 90 Day Fiancé is the preparation for their wedding that they have to complete in the 90 days allotted by the visa. On the last episode, Juliana was brought to a mediator to talk about a pre-nuptial agreement, which left Juliana feeling skeptical of Michael and scared for her future.

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A post shared by Juliana Custodio on Nov 10, 2019 at 11:33am PST

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Normal Aging Memory Loss Vs Dementia

Memory problems dont always indicate dementia. According to the National Institute on Aging, its perfectly natural to experience age-related memory loss.

Forgetfulness can be a normal part of aging. As people get older, changes occur in all parts of the body, including the brain, they advise. As a result, some people may notice that it takes longer to learn new things, they don’t remember information as well as they did, or they lose things like their glasses. These usually are signs of mild forgetfulness, not serious memory problems

So how do you tell the difference between normal memory loss due to aging and dementia symptoms? Its not an exact science , but the chart below can help give you an idea of what youre up against.

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Which Parts Of The Brain Affect Memory

Medically Reviewed By: Aaron Horn

The brain is extremely complex, and researchers are constantly learning more about how it functions. More and more studies are done every year trying to discover more information about how the brain works, particularly about memory. A lot is known, but still, more is left to be discovered.

When faced with memory disorders or memory loss, it can be helpful to have an understanding of how the brain manipulates memory. Especially in cases of head injury, knowing which parts of the brain affect memory can help you understand what to expect in the future. Unfortunately, the brain cells responsible for memory cannot be replaced, which means that most memory loss is permanent.

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How Does Memory Work

Memory is the ability to hold onto and recall information from the past. There are three stages of memory: encoding, storage and retrieval.

• Encoding: The brain receives new information and creates a series of connections to represent that information. Those connections may link to other information already stored in your memory. For many types of information, you have to be paying attention to accurately encode the information.
• Storage: Those previously formed connections are maintained in your brain, even though you may not be using them.
• Retrieval: The brain recreates or activates the connections that represent previously encoded information and you can recall or recognize that information from the past.

This is a simple description of how memory works. Keep in mind that these stages and the processes within them are imperfect. Memory itself is imperfect. The witness to a robbery might remember a blue shirt when the robber was actually wearing green. Such forgetfulness is just that forgetfulness not necessarily a sign of amnesia.

There are several types of memory. Here are the two most relevant to understanding amnesia:

How Is Amnesia Treated

There is no pill that can cure amnesia. However, amnesia can improve as the brain heals in some conditions. When memory loss is persistent, there are skills you can learn to compensate.

Cognitive rehabilitation involves teaching new skills to patients with anterograde amnesia. These might include organizational strategies or compensatory technology . Success varies. Occupational therapists often perform cognitive rehabilitation. Occupational therapists also help your family and friends cope with their role as caregivers.

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The Process Of Memory Consolidation

Memory consolidation is the brains ability to process events and turn them into memories.

When certain neurotransmitters are present in the brain, they enable the nerve cells to communicate with one another via synaptic connections. Once two neurons fire together more than once, they are more likely to fire together again . Once a message has been thoroughly communicated, you have memory consolidation.

How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Amnesia

You can reduce your risk of the symptoms by reducing your risk for related diseases. Always wear protective equipment like a seat belt when youre in a vehicle, a helmet when youre bicycling and playing sports, and sturdy shoes to keep yourself from falling, etc. Research suggests that you can reduce your risk of developing diseases like Alzheimers with lifestyle choices:

• Exercising. Cardiovascular exercise and strength training may be beneficial.
• Eating a healthy, balanced diet. The Mediterranean diet is highly recommended.
• Staying mentally active. Take a class and break out the crossword puzzles.
• Getting plenty of sleep. Treat your insomnia and sleep apnea.
• Stopping smoking. Theres evidence that shows that smoking increases your risk of cognitive decline.
• Staying in touch with loved ones. Your social well-being is important just like your physical well-being.
• Managing stress. Get treatment if you have symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• Protecting your heart by losing weight, lowering your blood pressure and managing your diabetes.

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How Does Dementia Affect Memory

Dementia involves damage to parts of the brain that are important for memory, including the hippocampusand the frontal lobes. Consequently, memory problems are among the core symptoms of dementia. People with dementia may quickly forget personal experiences, frequently repeat themselves, experience distorted memories, not recognize family members, or get lost in a place they once knew well, along with other forms of memory breakdown. Forgetting may seem to move backward in time, beginning with recent events and ultimately affecting memories from many years earlier.

Changes In Mood Behaviour And Personality

At first, someone with dementia may appear to be easily irritated or moody. It is often family or friends who notice this. Some people with early dementia recognise that they are failing and become depressed. However, many people with dementia are not aware that they have it. They may remain cheerful. The distress is often felt more by relatives who may find it difficult to cope.

More challenging behaviour may develop in some people over time. For example, in some cases, a person with dementia may become quite disinhibited. This means that he or she may say or do things quite out of character. This is often difficult for families and friends to cope with. Some people with dementia can also become agitated or even aggressive and this may be directed towards their carers. They may become suspicious or fearful of others. In some people, delusions and hallucinations can occur. Visual hallucinations can be a common problem in dementia with Lewy bodies .

Mood, behavioural and personality changes may mean that someone with dementia is not able to interact with others in a social situation and they can become quite withdrawn. Sleep is often affected and pacing and restless wandering can become a problem for some.

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Slowing The Progression Of Alzheimers Disease And Dementia

While the progression of Alzheimers disease and many kinds of dementia cannot be reversed, there are treatments available to slow the progression and protect neural tissues, allowing patients to maintain independence and a higher quality of life for as long as possible.

If you are looking for a local neurologist in New York, look no further than Crystal Run Healthcare. Our providers span a wide array of neurology subspecialties to bring the most comprehensive and innovative treatment plans available for Alzheimers and dementia. or visit us online at Crystalrunhealthcare.com to schedule a consultation and begin treatment as soon as possible.

Is Amnesia Common When A Person Is Drinking Alcohol

Alcohol can stunt the brain from developing new memories. Two types of memory events can happen to heavy drinkers: blackouts and amnesia.

Heavy alcohol abusers who have poor diets are at risk of developing Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome affects 1% to 3% of the population, often people who are between 30 years old and 70 years old. Researchers have concluded that alcohol prevents the body from processing the nutrient B1, a vitamin vital to memory. The damage done to the brain by alcoholic amnesia is permanent in 80% of cases. This alcohol-induced syndrome includes a severe anterograde amnesia or ability to form new memories. Patients may also confabulate or make up highly unusual memories.

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Difference Between Dementia And Amnesia

Mental illness or disorders affect the thinking, mood, and behavior of an individual. The day-to-day activities are also affected and several changes in emotions, personality and feelings can be observed. The two main types of mental disorders that appear the same are dementia and amnesia. Both mental conditions have distinct differences.

How Does Dementia Progress

Typically, symptoms of dementia tend to develop slowly, often over several years. In the early stages of the disease, many people with mild dementia cope with just a small amount of support and care. As the disease progresses more care is usually needed.

In the later stages of dementia, speech may be lost and severe physical problems may develop, including problems with mobility, incontinence and general frailty. This can make people more susceptible to other health problems such as infections. Often, people with dementia die from another health problem such as a severe chest infection. So, the dementia isn’t the cause of their death but has contributed to it.

Some people can live for many years after dementia has been diagnosed. However, the condition does shorten lifespan. On average, once diagnosed with dementia, people are:

• In the mild early stage for one or two years.
• In the moderate stage, needing help looking after themselves for another two or three years.
• In a severe stage by four to five years after diagnosis, being completely dependent on carers and more or less completely inactive.

The average survival after diagnosis is 3-9 years, but people can survive for up to 20 years after being diagnosed with dementia.

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Trauma And Memory Loss

Memory loss is a frustrating and sometimes scary experience, especially if the memory loss is caused by a traumatic event. Research shows that there is a definite relationship between occurrences of emotional, psychological or physical trauma and memory. Some of this memory loss may be a temporary way to help you cope with the trauma, and some of it may be permanent due to a severe brain injury or disturbing psychological trauma. Knowing how trauma can affect your memory can guide you in choosing an appropriate treatment to help you cope with trauma and heal your memory problems.

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What Does Memory Loss Look Like In A Person With Dementia

Memory loss can be a symptom of any type of dementia. For people with Alzheimers disease, it is often among the very first signs.

Memory can be affected in different ways. These include:

• not being able to create new memories this means that recent events are not recorded in the persons memory and so cannot be recalled later. For example, the person may forget a conversation they have just had.
• taking longer to retrieve information this means that, even though the person is still able to recall things, this takes them much longer or they might need a prompt. For example, they might need more time to find the name for an object.
• not being able to retrieve information this means that, even though the person may be able to create new memories, they are not able to access them when needed.

For example, they may get lost in familiar surroundings or on journeys they have taken many times.

In the same way, people with dementia may still be able to remember things that they have repeated many times in their life, such as a route to school. This also includes skills that involved a lot of practice, like playing a musical instrument or driving.

This emotional memory can be triggered by senses, such as hearing a certain piece of music or smelling a certain fragrance.

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What Is Transient Global Amnesia

Transient global amnesia involves a temporary inability to retain new memories, even as one remembers details from the past . It may also impede the ability to recall recent memories. It is a rare syndrome that is most likely to effect individuals over age 50. Those who experience it typically return to normal memory function within a day, often in as little as a few hours.

How Does Memory Loss Affect A Person With Dementia

People with dementia often experience memory loss. This is because dementia is caused by damage to the brain, and this damage can affect areas of the brain involved in creating and retrieving memories.

For a person with dementia, memory problems will become more persistent and will begin to affect everyday life. This can be difficult to cope with, both for the person themselves and for the people around them.

However, there are ways to help a person with dementia manage their memory problems and stay independent for longer.

Read our free booklet

For straightforward advice and practical tips written directly for the person with memory loss, get a copy of our free booklet called The Memory Handbook.

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Main Differences Between Dementia And Amnesia