Immediate amnesia is recurring, that of recent events, and although annoying, in most cases it is not alarming. A sign of Alzheimer’s disease? brain attack? Point with Bruno Dubois, professor of neuroscience and director of the Institute for Memory and Alzheimer’s Disease at Petit Salpetriere.
Our interlocutor Bruno Dubois, Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Memory Institute in Paris, distinguishes memory Recent events and instant memory. “first goals to keep informationAs for the second term, which is very short, it does not require our attention to be mobilized while receiving information and it is not intended to hold it.” He explains. In the latter case, the loss of information does not reveal the presence of a problem or a malfunction.
Regarding the memory of recent events:
► The first step is to enter the information in the memory system. We are interested in this information or not for various reasons. “The quality of information perception – the level of attention of the subject – will determine what will then be kept in memory. This first step is codingBruno Dubois explains.
► The second step , Storage, consists of leaving a trail of information in the storage system. “If the perception is not good – because the information is secondary or the degree of attention is insufficient – then the memorization will be poor. It is therefore important to clearly distinguish between the finite abilities of receiving information in the memory itself”, stresses the neurologist .
► The last step is information retrieval : Consists of remembering information previously recorded in the memory system.
Sudden memory loss in a young man: what is the reason?
The missing stroke corresponds to a sudden and transient cut in the memory system.
- brain attack : “This is a very special, very startling, disorder that is also worrisome for those around you. It corresponds to a sudden, momentary, transient disruption of the memory system. This may last for a few hours and disappear spontaneously without treatment.R.“
- a brain attackAnd the
- head trauma,
- transient amnesia epilepsy
Sudden memory loss in the elderly: what is the cause?
The causes of sudden memory loss are the same in young and old people:
- I’ApoplexyAnd the
- transient amnesia epilepsy
- head trauma
What are the symptoms of sudden memory loss?
Symptoms related to memory loss The suddenness will depend on the cause. If it is an amnesic stroke, then the subject will not be able to, For a few hours, to record the slightest information. It will not be associated with any other disorder, but one who is anxious often may Repeating the same questions over and over again. The symptoms of transient memory loss epilepsy will be similar. In a stroke, several other symptoms may be associated (headache, Cognitive disordersmovement disorders,…).
“It is not uncommon not to remember unimportant things, this secondary information that is sometimes blocked by the attention filter. The main guiding element is the following: Do we forget important things? Some information should come to our attention because it is unusual or has a special meaning: a bereavement, an important visit, a meeting, an event … If we do not remember it, it is troubling because this information caught our attention, “ Bruno Dubois, MD, a neurologist, explains.
What diseases cause amnesia for recent events?
Diseases that cause amnesia of recent events are those that do not allow to memorize information to which a person is still attentive. “These diseases Affect the hippocampusThis structure of the brain is the gateway to information that is stored as a memory trace.” Professor Dubois notes.
- The illnessAlzheimer’s disease All neurodegenerative diseases of the hippocampus
- some dementia
- subordinate limbic encephalitis and herpes
- The Meningitis
- some tumor
- transient amnesia epilepsy
- The Korsakoff syndromeBrain damage secondary to chronic alcoholism.
- The head trauma
Some disturbances interfere with the correct reception of information, but in this case, It’s bad coding and not information storage. “Thus, the Sleep disordersDepression, anxiety, and some medications that disrupt the attention system or even overstimulate them affect attention abilities and do not allow information to be recorded.”explains the specialist.
What test should be done in case of amnesia of recent events?
“The memory, storage, and retrieval cipher is a model that has allowed us to build tests that evaluate each of these three steps. Thanks to these tests, we can Isolation of memory steps And you know at what stage the memory is broken. If it is about storage, it may be important forhippocampal damageparticularly characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases‘, develops a neurologist.
So the treatment depends on the cause. brain attack, depressionAlzheimer’s disease, sleep disturbances, anxiety, tumors… it will take Make a diagnosis before suggesting an appropriate treatment for the patient.
Thanks to Professor Bruno Dubois, Member of the Academy of Medicine
