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Staniloiu A, Markowitsch HJ. Dissociative Amnesia: Remembrances Under Cover. Top Cogn Sci 2024. [PMID: 38728576 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
The existence or questionability of "repressed memories" can be discussed as being a matter of definition. It seems, however, far-fetched to consider all "lost" memories as caused by encoding problems, brain damage, forgetfulness, failure to disclose events, and so on. We argue that dissociative amnesia (DA) (or "psychogenic amnesia," or "functional amnesia," or, as we favor to call it, "mnestic block syndrome") is caused by psychic alterations, but ultimately they can be traced to changes in the physiology of the brain, as we are of the opinion that all memory processes-positive or negative-alter brain functions, sometimes more permanently, sometimes transiently. We have proven this idea using functional imaging techniques, in particular fluoro-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography. Having investigated dozens of patients with severe and long-lasting DA conditions, we believe it to be disrespectful to many (but not to all) of the affected patients to question their disease condition, which can be proven to be not caused by feigning, malingering, or direct brain damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelica Staniloiu
- Department of Physiological Psychology, University of Bielefeld
- Department of Psychology, University of Bucharest
- Psychiatry and Psychosomatics, Oberberg Clinic Hornberg
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2
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Taïb S, Yrondi A, Lemesle B, Péran P, Pariente J. What are the neural correlates of dissociative amnesia? A systematic review of the functional neuroimaging literature. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1092826. [PMID: 36778638 PMCID: PMC9909275 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1092826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM Dissociative amnesia is an emblematic psychiatric condition in which patients experience massive memory loss ranging from focal to global amnesia. This condition remains poorly understood and this review aims to investigate the neuroanatomical feature of this disease. METHODS We conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature available on PubMed, up to December 1, 2022, using a combination of keywords referring to dissociative amnesia. We included every scientific report involving patients undergoing a functional imaging procedure. RESULTS Twenty-two studies met our inclusion criteria (gathering 49 patients). Only one was a controlled study with a large sample. The other 21 were case reports and case series. In resting state, neuroimaging studies mostly showed a hypo-activated right inferolateral prefrontal cortex, associated with limbic hypoactivity and lesser activation of the hippocampal and para-hippocampal structures. The patients also presented abnormal patterns of cerebral activation when performing memory tasks. When testing recognition of memories from the amnestic period, patients showed increased activation across temporal areas (hippocampal and para-hippocampal gyri) and the limbic network. When trying to recollect memories from an amnestic period compared to a non-amnestic period, patients failed to activate these structures efficiently. Most of these patterns tended to return to normal when symptoms resolved. CONCLUSION This review identified a paucity of controlled studies in the field of dissociative amnesia neuroimaging, which restricts the extrapolation of results. Patients with dissociative amnesia present a broad prefronto-temporo-limbic network dysfunction. Some of the brain areas implicated in this network might represent potential targets for innovative treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Taïb
- INSERM U1214 Centre d'Imagerie Neuro Toulouse (ToNIC), Toulouse, France.,Service de Psychiatrie, Psychothérapie et Art-Thérapie, Centre Expert du Stress Traumatique, CHU de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Antoine Yrondi
- INSERM U1214 Centre d'Imagerie Neuro Toulouse (ToNIC), Toulouse, France.,Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie et Psychologie Médicale, CHU de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Patrice Péran
- INSERM U1214 Centre d'Imagerie Neuro Toulouse (ToNIC), Toulouse, France
| | - Jérémie Pariente
- INSERM U1214 Centre d'Imagerie Neuro Toulouse (ToNIC), Toulouse, France.,Pôle Neurosciences, CHU de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
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3
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Sehara Y, Ando Y, Minezumi T, Funayama N, Kawai K, Sawada M. [123I]Iomazenil SPECT Detects a Reversible Lesion of the Left Medial Temporal Lobe in a Case of Global Autobiographical Amnesia. Cogn Behav Neurol 2021; 34:70-75. [PMID: 33652471 DOI: 10.1097/wnn.0000000000000254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Global autobiographical amnesia is a rare disorder that is characterized by a sudden loss of autobiographical memories covering many years of an individual's life. Generally, routine neuroimaging studies such as CT and MRI yield negative findings in individuals with global autobiographical amnesia. However, in recent case reports, functional analyses such as SPECT and fMRI have revealed changes in activity in various areas of the brain when compared with controls. Studies using iomazenil (IMZ) SPECT with individuals with global autobiographical amnesia have not been reported. We report the case of a 62-year-old Japanese woman with global autobiographical amnesia who had disappeared for ∼4 weeks. [123I]-IMZ SPECT showed reduced IMZ uptake in her left medial temporal lobe and no significant reduction on N-isopropyl-[123I] p-iodoamphetamine (IMP) SPECT in the identical region. Because IMZ binds to the central benzodiazepine receptor, this dissociation between IMZ and IMP SPECT was thought to reflect the breakdown of inhibitory neurotransmission in the left medial temporal lobe. Moreover, when the woman recovered most of her memory 32 months after fugue onset, the IMZ SPECT-positive lesion had decreased in size. Because the woman had long suffered verbal abuse from her former husband's sister and brother, which can also cause global autobiographical amnesia, it is difficult to conclude whether the IMZ SPECT-positive lesion in the left medial temporal lobe was the cause or the result of her global autobiographical amnesia. Although only one case, these observations suggest that IMZ SPECT may be useful in uncovering the mechanisms underlying global autobiographical amnesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihide Sehara
- Department of Neurology, Haga Red Cross Hospital, Tochigi, Japan
- Division of Genetic Therapeutics, Center for Molecular Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Yoshihito Ando
- Department of Neurology, Haga Red Cross Hospital, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Takumi Minezumi
- Department of Neurology, Haga Red Cross Hospital, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Nozomi Funayama
- Section of Community Medicine, Haga Red Cross Hospital, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Kensuke Kawai
- Department of Neurosurgery, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Mikio Sawada
- Department of Neurology, Haga Red Cross Hospital, Tochigi, Japan
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4
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Harrison NA, Johnston K, Corno F, Casey SJ, Friedner K, Humphreys K, Jaldow EJ, Pitkanen M, Kopelman MD. Psychogenic amnesia: syndromes, outcome, and patterns of retrograde amnesia. Brain 2017; 140:2498-2510. [DOI: 10.1093/brain/awx186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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5
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Dissociative amnesia: Disproportionate retrograde amnesia, stressful experiences and neurological circumstances. Rev Neurol (Paris) 2017; 173:516-520. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2017.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2017] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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6
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Vercueil L. Postictal pure retrograde amnesia. Rev Neurol (Paris) 2017; 173:426-427. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2017.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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7
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Clinical characteristics and brain PET findings in 3 cases of dissociative amnesia: Disproportionate retrograde deficit and posterior middle temporal gyrus hypometabolism. Neurophysiol Clin 2014; 44:355-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neucli.2014.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2013] [Accepted: 08/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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8
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Abstract
Dissociative amnesia is one of the most enigmatic and controversial psychiatric disorders. In the past two decades, interest in the understanding of its pathophysiology has surged. In this report, we review new data about the epidemiology, neurobiology, and neuroimaging of dissociative amnesia and show how advances in memory research and neurobiology of dissociation inform proposed pathogenetic models of the disorder. Dissociative amnesia is characterised by functional impairment. Additionally, preliminary data suggest that affected people have an increased and possibly underestimated suicide risk. The prevalence of dissociative amnesia differs substantially across countries and populations. Symptoms and disease course also vary, indicating a possibly heterogeneous disorder. The accompanying clinical features differ across cultural groups. Most dissociative amnesias are retrograde, with memory impairments mainly involving the episodic-autobiographical memory domain. Anterograde dissociative amnesia occurring without significant retrograde memory impairments is rare. Functional neuroimaging studies of dissociative amnesia with prevailing retrograde memory impairments show changes in the network that subserves autobiographical memory. At present, no evidence-based treatments are available for dissociative amnesia and no broad framework exists for its rehabilitation. Further research is needed into its neurobiology, course, treatment options, and strategies to improve differential diagnoses.
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9
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Magnin E, Thomas-Antérion C, Sylvestre G, Haffen S, Magnin-Feysot V, Rumbach L. Conversion, dissociative amnesia, and Ganser syndrome in a case of "chameleon" syndrome: anatomo-functional findings. Neurocase 2014; 20:27-36. [PMID: 23075263 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2012.732081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The term "chameleon" was first used in the seventeenth century by Sydenham to describe a patient with a protean semiology. We report a single case of "chameleon" syndrome that challenges the current international criteria for somatoform disorders, dissociative amnesia, and Ganser syndrome. The florid symptoms were as follows: anterograde and retrograde amnesia (including semantic, episodic, and procedural deficits), loss of identity, atypical neuropsychological impairment (approximate answers), left sensitive and motor deficit, and left pseudochoreoathetosis movement disorders. Additional behavioral disorders included the following: anxiety, clouded consciousness, hallucinations, and "belle indifference". A single photon emission computed tomography examination showed bilateral temporal, frontal and a right caudate (in the head of the caudate nucleus) hypoperfusion concordant with a common mechanism of repression in these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloi Magnin
- a Department of Neurology , University Hospital of Besançon , Besançon , France
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10
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Magnin E, Delchev Y, Chopard G, Berger E, Vandel P, Sechter D, Rumbach L, Haffen E. Transient improvement in sensorimotor conversion during post-anoxic encephalopathy with bilateral medial temporal ischemia. Neurocase 2013; 19:576-82. [PMID: 22931423 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2012.713488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
We report the case of a patient with sensorimotor conversion that improved transiently during post-anoxic medial temporal ischemia inducing anterograde and retrograde amnesia. Symptoms reappeared in parallel with mnesic recovery. This case raises a hypothesis concerning the role of hippocampi and amygdalae, which are involved in emotionally-associated memory. The amnesia may have modified the patient's "self," giving her a "distant" point of view. Another hypothesis is that cerebral anoxic stress may have "reset" the cerebral network that controls behavior. These findings give clues about the mechanisms of somatoform disorder and highlight the possibility of specific therapeutic strategies to induce cognitive reappraisal of emotionally-associated experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloi Magnin
- a Department of Neurology , University Hospital of Besançon , Besançon , France
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11
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The remains of the day in dissociative amnesia. Brain Sci 2012; 2:101-29. [PMID: 24962768 PMCID: PMC4061789 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci2020101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2012] [Revised: 02/29/2012] [Accepted: 03/22/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Memory is not a unity, but is divided along a content axis and a time axis, respectively. Along the content dimension, five long-term memory systems are described, according to their hierarchical ontogenetic and phylogenetic organization. These memory systems are assumed to be accompanied by different levels of consciousness. While encoding is based on a hierarchical arrangement of memory systems from procedural to episodic-autobiographical memory, retrieval allows independence in the sense that no matter how information is encoded, it can be retrieved in any memory system. Thus, we illustrate the relations between various long-term memory systems by reviewing the spectrum of abnormalities in mnemonic processing that may arise in the dissociative amnesia—a condition that is usually characterized by a retrieval blockade of episodic-autobiographical memories and occurs in the context of psychological trauma, without evidence of brain damage on conventional structural imaging. Furthermore, we comment on the functions of implicit memories in guiding and even adaptively molding the behavior of patients with dissociative amnesia and preserving, in the absence of autonoetic consciousness, the so-called “internal coherence of life”.
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12
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Sehm B, Frisch S, Thöne-Otto A, Horstmann A, Villringer A, Obrig H. Focal retrograde amnesia: voxel-based morphometry findings in a case without MRI lesions. PLoS One 2011; 6:e26538. [PMID: 22028902 PMCID: PMC3197527 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2011] [Accepted: 09/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Focal retrograde amnesia (FRA) is a rare neurocognitive disorder presenting with an isolated loss of retrograde memory. In the absence of detectable brain lesions, a differentiation of FRA from psychogenic causes is difficult. Here we report a case study of persisting FRA after an epileptic seizure. A thorough neuropsychological assessment confirmed severe retrograde memory deficits while anterograde memory abilities were completely normal. Neurological and psychiatric examination were unremarkable and high-resolution MRI showed no neuroradiologically apparent lesion. However, voxel-based morphometry (VBM)-comparing the MRI to an education-, age-and sex-matched control group (n = 20) disclosed distinct gray matter decreases in left temporopolar cortex and a region between right posterior parahippocampal and lingual cortex. Although the results of VBM-based comparisons between a single case and a healthy control group are generally susceptible to differences unrelated to the specific symptoms of the case, we believe that our data suggest a causal role of the cortical areas detected since the retrograde memory deficit is the preeminent neuropsychological difference between patient and controls. This was paralleled by grey matter differences in central nodes of the retrograde memory network. We therefore suggest that these subtle alterations represent structural correlates of the focal retrograde amnesia in our patient. Beyond the implications for the diagnosis and etiology of FRA, our results advocate the use of VBM in conditions that do not show abnormalities in clinical radiological assessment, but show distinct neuropsychological deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Sehm
- Clinic of Cognitive Neurology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
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13
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Kempster PA, Roberts HL. Scriptwriter's amnesia: Autobiographical memory loss in the documentary film Unknown White Male (2005). Cortex 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2010.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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14
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Felician O, Tramoni E, Barbeau E, Bartolomei F, Guye M, Poncet M, Ceccaldi M. Amnésie autobiographique isolée : une origine neurologique ? Rev Neurol (Paris) 2009; 165:449-59. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2008.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2007] [Revised: 09/24/2008] [Accepted: 11/17/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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15
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Tramoni E, Aubert-Khalfa S, Guye M, Ranjeva JP, Felician O, Ceccaldi M. Hypo-retrieval and hyper-suppression mechanisms in functional amnesia. Neuropsychologia 2009; 47:611-24. [PMID: 19071144 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2008.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2008] [Revised: 11/03/2008] [Accepted: 11/06/2008] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eve Tramoni
- Laboratoire Epilepsies et Cognition, INSERM U 751, Marseille, France.
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16
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Hennig-Fast K, Meister F, Frodl T, Beraldi A, Padberg F, Engel RR, Reiser M, Möller HJ, Meindl T. A case of persistent retrograde amnesia following a dissociative fugue: Neuropsychological and neurofunctional underpinnings of loss of autobiographical memory and self-awareness. Neuropsychologia 2008; 46:2993-3005. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2008.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2007] [Revised: 06/09/2008] [Accepted: 06/10/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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17
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Kryukov VI. The role of the hippocampus in long-term memory: is it memory store or comparator? J Integr Neurosci 2008; 7:117-84. [PMID: 18431820 DOI: 10.1142/s021963520800171x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2007] [Accepted: 01/16/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Several attempts have been made to reconcile a number of rival theories on the role of the hippocampus in long-term memory. Those attempts fail to explain the basic effects of the theories from the same point of view. We are reviewing the four major theories, and shall demonstrate, with the use of mathematical models of attention and memory, that only one theory is capable of reconciling all of them by explaining the basic effects of each theory in a unified fashion, without altogether sacrificing their individual contributions. The key issue here is whether or not a memory trace is ever stored in the hippocampus itself, and there is no reconciliation unless the answer to that question is that there is not. As a result of the reconciliation that we are proposing, there is a simple solution to several outstanding problems concerning the neurobiology of memory such as: consolidation and reconsolidation, persistency of long term memory, novelty detection, habituation, long-term potentiation, and the multifrequency oscillatory self-organization of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- V I Kryukov
- St. Daniel Monastery, Danilovsky Val, 22 Moscow, 115191, Russia.
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18
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Autobiographic memory: Phenomenological aspects, personal semantic knowledge, generic events and characters (one case of pure retrograde memory recovery). Neurophysiol Clin 2008; 38:171-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neucli.2008.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2008] [Accepted: 02/17/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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19
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Whiting MD, Hamm RJ. Mechanisms of anterograde and retrograde memory impairment following experimental traumatic brain injury. Brain Res 2008; 1213:69-77. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.01.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2007] [Revised: 01/28/2008] [Accepted: 01/31/2008] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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20
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Thomas Antérion C, Mazzola L, Foyatier-Michel N, Laurent B. À la recherche de la mémoire perdue : nature des troubles et mode de récupération d’un cas d’amnésie rétrograde pure. Rev Neurol (Paris) 2008; 164:271-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2007.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2007] [Revised: 04/19/2007] [Accepted: 06/18/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Abstract
We explored potential contributing psychological factors in a patient ('XF') with focal retrograde amnesia, within the framework proposed by Kopelman (2000, Cognitive Neuropsychology, 17, 585). In particular, we investigated the psychological trait of self-enhancement. We constructed a self-report questionnaire measure of self-enhancement and compared XF's score on this measure with the scores of 61 control participants. XF was found to have a significantly greater level of self-enhancement than the entire control group, and also than a smaller sample of age- and sex-matched controls. We propose that heightened self-enhancement may reflect a premorbid tendency that potentially predisposes individuals to develop retrograde amnesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amee D Baird
- School of Behavioral Science, Department of Psychology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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22
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Kalbe E, Brand M, Thiel A, Kessler J, Markowitsch HJ. Neuropsychological and neural correlates of autobiographical deficits in a mother who killed her children. Neurocase 2008; 14:15-28. [PMID: 18569728 DOI: 10.1080/13554790801992735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
We report a case of a delusional patient who had killed two of her children in an attempted 'extended suicide'. She was convinced of a genetic defect that caused autobiographical memory and emotional deficits and made life 'senseless'. Neuropsychological tests revealed dysfunctions in remembering emotional details of personal episodes and theory of mind. Water positron emission tomography (15O) with a paradigm used in a former study by Fink et al. (1996) with healthy controls elicited abnormal activations during autobiographical memory retrieval characterised by a lack of prefrontal and limbic activity. We conclude that these imaging findings reflect neural correlates of the self-reported and objectified autobiographical dysfunctions. Furthermore, they indicate that beliefs or prejudices may have a major impact on the brain's processing of the personal past.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Kalbe
- Department of Neurology, University Clinic Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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23
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Functional retrograde amnesia: A multiple case study. Cortex 2008; 44:29-45. [PMID: 18387529 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2005.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2005] [Revised: 06/24/2005] [Accepted: 09/08/2005] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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24
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Alam M, Broadbent A. Acute retrograde amnesia as first presentation in terminal metastatic cancer. J Palliat Med 2006; 9:261-3. [PMID: 16629553 DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2006.9.261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A case is presented of a 2-week onset of acute retrograde amnesia as initial presentation, caused by presumed cancer. While acute retrograde amnesia has been reported in the literature, a report linked to cancer has not previously been published. An 82-year-old Caucasian woman presented to the emergency department, with 3-day history of increasing confusion and mild frontal headaches. Until 2 weeks previously she had been living on her own and coping with her activities of daily life. She believed very firmly that she was living with her husband in the house in which they lived in over 30 years ago. A magnetic resonance imaging scan demonstrated a lesion extending from cortex anteriorly to the right basal ganglia posteriorly. Postgadolinium enhancement was consistent with a diagnosis of a primary or secondary neoplasm. In some patients, cognitive behaviour changes or amnesia is the sole presenting feature of a serious underlying pathology. A lesion in either the temporal or frontal lobe can lead to this presentation. A family conference was convened and there was decision to take a conservative approach and not to investigate further. She was discharged to the care of her daughter and died 3 months later without return of her memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmood Alam
- Department of Medical Oncology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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25
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Piolino P, Hannequin D, Desgranges B, Girard C, Beaunieux H, Giffard B, Lebreton K, Eustache F. Right ventral frontal hypometabolism and abnormal sense of self in a case of disproportionate retrograde amnesia. Cogn Neuropsychol 2005; 22:1005-34. [DOI: 10.1080/02643290442000428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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26
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Zago S, Sartori G, Scarlato G. Malingering and Retrograde Amnesia: The Historic Case of the Collegno Amnesic. Cortex 2004; 40:519-32. [PMID: 15259331 DOI: 10.1016/s0010-9452(08)70144-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Assessment of feigned cognitive disorders is an important field of neuropsychology because of its applications to forensic settings. Strategies for detecting malingering in amnesia are available for anterograde amnesia. Less attention has been given to malingering in retrograde amnesia. The case of the 'Smemorato di Collegno' (The Collegno Amnesic) is probably the most famous case of malingered retrograde amnesia ever known in Italy. In 1926, a man who appeared to have lost all his autobiographical memories and identity spent nearly a year in the Collegno asylum of Turin without a name. He was later initially identified as Giulio Canella, Director of the 'Scuola Normale di Verona' who had disappeared during the war in 1916. He was suspected of later identified as being Mario Bruneri, a petty crook from Turin who played the part of an amnesic whose retrograde memory gradually returned. A lengthy investigation was required before this conclusion was reached. Several clinicians and renowned academics evaluated the case, but only Alfredo Coppola, diagnosed "malingered retrograde amnesia" using a method that was extremely innovative for the times. The aim of the present paper is to review the original cognitive evaluation and the strategies used for malingering detection in the "Collegno case". The outcome of the case is then discussed in the light of present-day forensic neuropsychology and the level of advancement of mental examination achieved in the 1920s in Europe is highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Zago
- Dipartimento di Scienze Neurologiche e degli Organi di Senso, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore-Policlinico, Università di Milano, Italy.
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27
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Kopelman
- University Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Guy's, King's & St Thomas' School of Medicine, Adamson Centre for Mental Health, St Thomas Hospital, London.
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28
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Lucchelli F, Spinnler H. The "psychogenic" versus "organic" conundrum of pure retrograde amnesia: is it still worth pursuing? Cortex 2002; 38:665-9. [PMID: 12465679 DOI: 10.1016/s0010-9452(08)70033-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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29
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Mayes
- Department of Psychology, Eleanor Rathbone Building, University of Liverpool
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30
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31
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Hodges
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK.
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32
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Affiliation(s)
- Narinder Kapur
- Wessex Neurological Centre, Southampton General Hospital, Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, England.
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