Review the three organic memory dysfunctions described in your text: Alzheimer's disease, anterograde and retrograde amnesia, and Korsakoff's syndrome. Provide as detailed a response as you can.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The answer should include the following points:

Alzheimer's disease-A dementing illness characterized by severe memory problems and the fourth leading cause of death among U.S. adults. The disease is progressive, escalating from mild, annoying memory losses to an inability to care for oneself. The disease is at least partly genetic and reflects a disorder in the production of a protein called beta amyloid, which helps maintain neural connections. Clumps and tangles build up, inflaming nerve cells and impairing communication in the brain.

Anterograde/retrograde amnesia-Amnesia refers to memory losses that occur in the absence of other intellectual deficits. Retrograde amnesia-loss of memory for events prior to trauma or injury. Retrograde amnesia is rare. The memory loss is usually selective and some of the memories tend to return over time. Anterograde amnesia-loss of memory for events following trauma or injury. One example is H.M., an epileptic whose hippocampus was destroyed during psychosurgery.

Korsakoff's syndrome-A memory deficit secondary to chronic, long-term alcohol abuse. Many intellectual abilities may be intact, but sufferers display hallucinations, memory deficits, and a tendency to repeat the same things over and over.