
Possible causes of neurological amnesia include:
These structures include the thalamus, which lies deep within the center of your brain, and the hippocampal formations, which are situated within the temporal lobes of your brain.Īmnesia caused by brain injury or damage is known as neurological amnesia. Any disease or injury that affects the brain can interfere with memory.Īmnesia can result from damage to brain structures that form the limbic system, which controls your emotions and memories. Normal memory function involves many parts of the brain. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic Causes If someone you know has symptoms of amnesia, help the person get medical attention.
False memories (confabulation), either completely invented or made up of genuine memories misplaced in timeĪnyone who experiences unexplained memory loss, head injury, confusion or disorientation requires immediate medical attention.Ī person with amnesia may not be able to identify his or her location or have the presence of mind to seek medical care. Additional signs and symptomsĭepending on the cause of the amnesia, other signs and symptoms may include: Dementia often includes memory loss, but it also involves other significant cognitive problems that lead to a decline in daily functioning.Ī pattern of forgetfulness is also a common symptom of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but the memory and other cognitive problems in MCI aren't as severe as those experienced in dementia. They may understand they have a memory disorder.Īmnesia isn't the same as dementia. People with amnesia usually can understand written and spoken words and can learn skills such as bike riding or piano playing. Isolated memory loss doesn't affect a person's intelligence, general knowledge, awareness, attention span, judgment, personality or identity. Someone may recall experiences from childhood or know the names of past presidents, but not be able to name the current president, know what month it is or remember what was for breakfast.
Recent memories are most likely to be lost, while more remote or deeply ingrained memories may be spared. Most people with amnesia have problems with short-term memory - they can't retain new information.
Difficulty remembering past events and previously familiar information (retrograde amnesia). Difficulty learning new information following the onset of amnesia (anterograde amnesia).