Causes and treatments of memory disorders
Written by:Knowing the causes of different memory disorders is a fundamental practice for the neurologist who wants to plan the right treatment for the patient. The Prof speaks of it. Dario Grossi, expert in Neurology in Naples
How are the assessments carried out?
The assessments of memory, as for other cognitive functions, are carried out by neuropsychological tests , ie formalized tests adjusted for age, sex and education. Naturally, laboratory tests are carried out under specific standard conditions. In everyday life the modes of memory functioning are different; however they represent a fundamental moment of the diagnostic process.
What are the causes of memory disorders and, in particular, the forms of Amnesia?
There are many possible causes:
- Cerebrovascular diseases such as cerebral strokes, encephalitis
- Chronic alcohol intake
- Metabolic diseases such as severe liver failure
- Reduced supply of oxygen to the brain, as can be acutely accomplished in cardiac arrest or chronically in respiratory failure
- Head injury, which is the most frequent cause of amnesia for young people
- Dementia, in particular Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common cause among the elderly
Cranial trauma and dementia in detail
Cranial traumas are a very frequent event with high incidence among young people; often even minor traumas can cause serious memory disorders, such as the autobiographical anterograde and / or retrograde Amnesia. When the brain traumas are of greater importance, often behavioral disturbances, sometimes important, often make the recovery and subsequent social reintegration of the patients more difficult.In patients with cerebral degenerative process, particularly affected by Alzheimer's disease , the memory disorder is slowly progressive and insidious and we can define it as a progressive anterograde amnesia, that is the loss of recent autobiographical events with relative integrity of the remote memory. Frequently the family members of a patient or the patient himself declare that they are able to remember events concerning their young age and then forget also the most relevant events that happened recently. This is a signal that should never be neglected for an early diagnosis, also because the disease is insidious, especially for the elderly to whom memory disorders are generally attributed to age. As soon as the disturbances appear, the expert must be used.
Is there a memory rehabilitation?
Over the years, various techniques based on cognitive models of memory have been developed. In practice, they consist of techniques aimed at stimulating the preparation of information retrieval strategies that are perfected with repeated exercise. A method for consolidating information retrieval strategies is to also implement the ecological-behavioral rehabilitation associated with cognitive rehabilitation in the strict sense, ie a rehabilitation in which the realistic conditions in which the patient manifests failures and in which he is invited are simulated to use the strategies that have been solicited in cognitive rehabilitation.
Is this rehabilitation sufficient in patients with brain damage from head injury?
Mostly it is also necessary to rehabilitate the control and attentional functions that are defined as "executive", even if the most important problem associated with cranial traumas is the disturbance of the behavior that strongly interferes with the rehabilitation of the memory and which must be treated simultaneously for have chances of success for recovery.
Is rehabilitation of memory possible for people with dementia too?
Rehabilitation, in this case, does not propose the restoration of the lost function, but the maintenance of residual functions to limit the impact that the disease has on the environment, given that on a neurobiological level this disease progressively progressively recruiting more brain areas.. The person with dementia has often unused strategic resources, which are very linked to his previous work and social activity. Rehabilitation exploits this cognitive wealth accumulated over the years to finalize it to the present condition of the patient.
What are the neurological bases of memory?
It is necessary to show an image. We limit ourselves only to mention the main ones, also because today the new neurofunctional models, demonstrated by the innovative technologies of neuroimaging, have brought the current knowledge forward; from this it is hoped that innovations can be derived for the cognitive treatment of memory disorders.The most studied structure is the Hippocampus , fundamental for fixing memories. It is precisely this anatomical formation that is first affected in Alzheimer's disease. This explains why memory disturbances in Alzheimer's patients are precocious and pre-eminent.. The bark of the Prefrontal areas is also fundamental, and they play a crucial role in the temporal perspective of memories and in the activation of the mechanisms of recovery of memories.. The amygdala is also important for the processing of emotions and for emotional memory.