Definition
Amnesia refers to the loss of ability to recall facts, events, or concepts encountered prior to the onset of illness (retrograde amnesia) or to the loss of ability to form new memories (anterograde amnesia), or both. Although anterograde and retrograde amnesia can occur in isolation, they most often appear together following a single cause. That cause is most frequently a neurologic insult or illness, but can also be psychogenic. In most cases, the memory loss is permanent, but it can be temporary, as for example, in transient global amnesia.
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References and Readings
Baddeley, A. D., Kopelman, M. D., & Wilson, A. W. (2002). The handbook of memory disorders. Chichester, UK: Wiley.
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Lafleche, G. (2011). Amnesia. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_1103
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_1103
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