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Remote memory in a patient with amnesia due to hypoxia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

William W. Beatty ,
David P. Salmon ,
Nancy Bernstein  and
Nelson Butters
William W. Beatty*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University, Psychology Service, San Diego and Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA
David P. Salmon
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University, Psychology Service, San Diego and Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA
Nancy Bernstein
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University, Psychology Service, San Diego and Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA
Nelson Butters
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University, Psychology Service, San Diego and Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr W. W. Beatty, Department of Psychology, North Dakota state University, Fargo, ND 58105, USA
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Synopsis

It has been suggested that amnesic patients suffer a selective loss of episodic memory while semantic memory remains well preserved. To assess the validity of this idea we studied remote memory in an amnesic patient, (M.R.L.), using several different measures that differ in the extent which they engage episodic or semantic memory. On two different versions of the Albert et al. (1979) remote memory battery M.R.L. displayed severe retrograde amnesia (RA) extending backwards in time for about 15 years with excellent preservation of older memories. With standard recall instructions his overall performance on the Crovitz test of autobiographical memory was impaired and all of M.R.L.'s specific, temporally dated memories were given from the first half of life. When asked to reconstruct his past residential history in detail, M.R.L. provided specific and generally accurate information for residences occupied from his boyhood until 1970, but thereafter his memory became quite unreliable. On a test of knowledge of terms commonly employed the surveying profession, in which he worked for the past 20 years, M.R.L.'s performance was also impaired. The consistent pattern of RA displayed by this patient on all of the tests of remote memory indicates that both episodic and semantic memory are impaired in amnesia.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 17 , Issue 3 , August 1987 , pp. 657 - 665
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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