effects of brain trauma on memory

Brain trauma…

can be mild/severe, temporary/permanent

What is a Neurodegenerative disease?

a disorder characterised by the progressive decline in the structure, activity and function of brain tissue.

What is Amnesia?

loss of memory that is not related to ordinary forgetting; the memory loss may be partial or complete, temporary or permanent, usually caused by brain trauma.

What is Anterograde amnesia?

the inability to form new long-term memories after trauma. Past memories remain mostly intact, but new events aren't stored. It's linked to damage in the hippocampus and related brain areas, and is common in older adults with Alzheimer's disease.

What is Retrograde Amnesia?

loss of memory for information or events experienced before the trauma occurs; memory loss may extend back a few moments, days, weeks or sometimes years.

Damage to hippocampus…

affects formation of semantic and episodic memories and their transfer to the cerebral cortex for storage; impairs consolidation of memories; incapable of forming new LTM

does damage to the hippocampus affect STM

no

What happens when there is damage to the right hippo?

impaired spatial learning

What happens when there is damage to the left hippo?

impaired verbal learning

Damage to amygdala…

problems remembering the emotional aspects of memories; unable to display a fear response = no sign of fear.

Damage to the Neocortex…

can disrupt storage and retrieval; loss of information stored in different areas of cortex.

Damage to the Cerebellum

damaged results in problems with classically conditioned motor responses involving simple reflexes.