Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsUnderstanding Anterograde AmnesiaBackgroundSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Understanding Anterograde Amnesia
Background
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Coping
Close
Anterograde amnesia is a rare but serious form of memory loss in which a person cannot create new memories after an amnesia-inducing event.It may involve either a partial or total inability to remember new information.
Whilelong-term memoriesfrom before the incident remain intact, people with this type of amnesia are often unable to form new memories.
At a GlanceAnterograde amnesia affects the formation of new memories but does not affect memories before the condition’s onset. It can make daily functioning difficult since people cannot retain essential details such as the people they meet and other things they’ve learned. Drug use, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, illness, and surgery are a few possible causes.While it is sometimes temporary, anterograde memory loss can also be permanent. Treatments focus on helping people cope with their memory loss, including using journals, notes, reminders, and family support.
At a Glance
Anterograde amnesia affects the formation of new memories but does not affect memories before the condition’s onset. It can make daily functioning difficult since people cannot retain essential details such as the people they meet and other things they’ve learned. Drug use, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, illness, and surgery are a few possible causes.While it is sometimes temporary, anterograde memory loss can also be permanent. Treatments focus on helping people cope with their memory loss, including using journals, notes, reminders, and family support.
Anterograde amnesia affects the formation of new memories but does not affect memories before the condition’s onset. It can make daily functioning difficult since people cannot retain essential details such as the people they meet and other things they’ve learned. Drug use, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, illness, and surgery are a few possible causes.
While it is sometimes temporary, anterograde memory loss can also be permanent. Treatments focus on helping people cope with their memory loss, including using journals, notes, reminders, and family support.
Anterograde amnesia is thought to involve the failure to encode (or possibly retrieve) new memories.There are also different levels of severity of anterograde amnesia.
Some people might forget a recent meal or a new phone number, for example, while others might forget what they were doing 30 seconds ago. Task difficulty can also influence memory, with more complex tasks being more difficult to remember than simpler tasks that may require less brainpower.
What Is Anterograde Memory?The American Psychological Association defines anterograde memory as “the ability to retain events, experiences, and other information following a particular point in time.”
What Is Anterograde Memory?
The American Psychological Association defines anterograde memory as “the ability to retain events, experiences, and other information following a particular point in time.”
There are several well-known movie characters with anterograde amnesia, as theshort-term memory deficitcan make for some funny and suspenseful scenes. Unfortunately, the true nature of the condition can be severely debilitating.
Memory and Amnesia
It can be helpful to understand thedifferent types of memorythat can be affected when amnesia occurs. First, we can divide memory into declarative or non-declarative.
Declarative memory can be further divided into episodic and semantic memory, which refers to whether the memory involves connections to times or places.
Brain Areas Involved in Memory
The MTL system consists of the hippocampal, perirhinal, entorhinal, and parahippocampalareas of the brainand is important for factual recall (declarative memory).The MTL is not involved in non-declarative memory.
What Is Memory?
Examples of Anterograde Amnesia
In the most famous case study of a person with anterograde amnesia, the patient known as H.M. was shown to be able to learn how to complete a maze, even though he had no memory of having completed the maze before. H.M. was suffering from anterograde amnesia due to surgery conducted to cure his epilepsy.
Another famous case study of anterograde amnesia is that of Clive Wearing, who contracted the herpes simplex virus and related complications to his brain. After this event, Wearing developed significantretrogradeand anterograde amnesia.However, he retained his ability to play piano and conduct a choir.
Symptoms of Anterograde Amnesia
Because people with anterograde amnesia cannot create new memories, someone with this form of amnesia willforget thingssuch as:
A person with anterograde amnesia symptoms might remember how to make a phone call but they don’t remember what they did earlier this morning. This is because declarative and non-declarative memories are thought to be stored in different areas of the brain.What’s more, these individuals will often have lost the episodic part of declarative memory but not the semantic part.
Anterograde Amnesia vs. Retrograde Amnesia
Anterograde amnesia differs from retrograde amnesia in the timing of when memories are lost. People who have retrograde amnesia cannot remember things that happened before the event that caused their amnesia.But they can form new memories after the event.
Conversely, people with anterograde amnesia can often remember everything up until that event—but can’t retain memories of things happening after that date. It is also possible for a person to have both of these types of amnesia, which is referred to as severe global amnesia.
How Long Can Anterograde Amnesia Last?While some cases of anterograde amnesia may be temporary, this condition is usually permanent and may become worse over time.It is important to seek treatment if you are experiencing unexplained memory loss. Your healthcare provider can determine the underlyingcause of your memory lossand suggest appropriate treatments.
How Long Can Anterograde Amnesia Last?
While some cases of anterograde amnesia may be temporary, this condition is usually permanent and may become worse over time.It is important to seek treatment if you are experiencing unexplained memory loss. Your healthcare provider can determine the underlyingcause of your memory lossand suggest appropriate treatments.
While some cases of anterograde amnesia may be temporary, this condition is usually permanent and may become worse over time.
It is important to seek treatment if you are experiencing unexplained memory loss. Your healthcare provider can determine the underlyingcause of your memory lossand suggest appropriate treatments.
Causes of Anterograde Amnesia
There are multiple potential causes of anterograde amnesia, all of which involve some sort oftraumaor stress to the brain. Factors that can increase the risk of developing anterograde amnesia include:
How Is Anterograde Amnesia Diagnosed?
Diagnosing anterograde amnesia can involve using brain scan technology such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CT scan.In addition, the doctor will ask questions to better understand the memory loss, such as:
Treatment of Anterograde Amnesia
While there is no cure for anterograde amnesia, some recovery and rehabilitation may be possible—even with permanent damage. Treatments for anterograde amnesia are primarily aimed at managing the condition. The following strategies are often used:
There is no FDA-approved medication treatment for amnesia. But vitamin B1 (thiamine) supplements may be used in instances where there is a vitamin deficiency. Technology tools can also be used to offer assistance, often in the form of daily planners and reminder apps.
Coping With Anterograde Amnesia
Some self-help strategies may help people living with anterograde amnesia.These might include establishing defineddaily routinesand finding ways to mark the passage of time.
Managing anterograde amnesia requires the use of reminders. Technology can be useful, but handwritten checklists and other tools can also help.
Outline daily tasks, including things such as shopping, money management, meal preparation, and appointments. This list should be visible and accessible at any time. Break down daily tasks into smaller steps and check off progress.
People with amnesia may lose track of time and spend hours on the same task. One way to deal with this is to create a laminated chart noting what needs to be accomplished on each task and place it in a visible location.
What This Means For YouIf you or someone you know is living with anterograde amnesia, it may be hard to know how to cope or how to help your loved one. This type of impairment can affect daily functioning, particularly if it is severe.Having thesupport of family and friendsis critical and should be part of any treatment plan, if possible. If you are struggling to cope with anterograde amnesia, further treatment options with new strategies for managing your impairment may be in order.
What This Means For You
If you or someone you know is living with anterograde amnesia, it may be hard to know how to cope or how to help your loved one. This type of impairment can affect daily functioning, particularly if it is severe.Having thesupport of family and friendsis critical and should be part of any treatment plan, if possible. If you are struggling to cope with anterograde amnesia, further treatment options with new strategies for managing your impairment may be in order.
If you or someone you know is living with anterograde amnesia, it may be hard to know how to cope or how to help your loved one. This type of impairment can affect daily functioning, particularly if it is severe.
Having thesupport of family and friendsis critical and should be part of any treatment plan, if possible. If you are struggling to cope with anterograde amnesia, further treatment options with new strategies for managing your impairment may be in order.
Dissociative Amnesia: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Causes, and Treatment
19 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Allen RJ.Classic and recent advances in understanding amnesia.F1000Res. 2018;7:331. doi:10.12688/f1000research.13737.1Dewar M, Della Sala S, Beschin N, Cowan N.Profound retroactive interference in anterograde amnesia: what interferes?.Neuropsychology. 2010;24(3):357–367. doi:10.1037/a0018207American Psychological Association.Anterograde memory.Michel A.Countering ‘neuromyths’ in the movies.Observer. 2015;28(3).Csábi E, Benedek P, Janacsek K, Zavecz Z, Katona G, Nemeth D.Declarative and non-declarative memory consolidation in children with sleep disorder.Front Hum Neurosci. 2015;9:709. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00709Brown TI, Rissman J, Chow TE, Uncapher MR, Wagner AD.Differential medial temporal lobe and parietal cortical contributions to real-world autobiographical episodic and autobiographical semantic memory.Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):6190. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-24549-yLee AC, Yeung LK, Barense MD.The hippocampus and visual perception.Front Hum Neurosci. 2012;6:91. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00091Warren DE, Duff MC, Magnotta V, Capizzano AA, Cassell MD, Tranel D.Long-term neuropsychological, neuroanatomical, and life outcome in hippocampal amnesia.Clin Neuropsychol. 2012;26(2):335–369. doi:10.1080/13854046.2012.655781Cavaco S, Feinstein JS, van Twillert H, Tranel D.Musical memory in a patient with severe anterograde amnesia.J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2012;34(10):1089–1100. doi:10.1080/13803395.2012.728568Pluck G, Bravo Mancero P, Maldonado Gavilanez CE, et al.Modulation of striatum based non-declarative and medial temporal lobe based declarative memory predicts academic achievement at university level.Trends Neurosci Educ. 2019;14:1-10. doi:10.1016/j.tine.2018.11.002Park YM, Shin HW.Zolpidem Induced sleep-related eating and complex behaviors in a patient with obstructive sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome.Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci. 2016;14(3):299–301. doi:10.9758/cpn.2016.14.3.299Marshman LAG, Hennessy M, Delle Baite L, Britton G.Utility of retrograde amnesia assessment alone, compared with anterograde amnesia assessment in determining recovery after traumatic brain injury: prospective cohort study.World Neurosurg. 2018;110:e830-e834. doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2017.11.131Ghannam M, Alshaer Q, Ukatu H, Alkuwaiti M, Streib C.Acute amnestic syndrome and ischemic stroke: A case series.Neurol Clin Pract. 2021;11(3):263-267. doi:10.1212/CPJ.0000000000000928Wetherill RR, Fromme K.Alcohol-induced blackouts: A review of recent clinical research with practical implications and recommendations for future studies.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2016;40(5):922-935. doi:10.1111/acer.13051Nahum L, Pignat JM, Bouzerda-Wahlen A, et al.Neural correlate of anterograde amnesia in Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome.Brain Topogr. 2015;28(5):760-770. doi:10.1007/s10548-014-0391-5Boere E, Kamperman AM, van ’t Hoog AE, van den Broek WW, Birkenhäger TK.Anterograde amnesia during electroconvulsive therapy: a prospective pilot-study in patients with major depressive disorder.PLoS One. 2016;11(10):e0165392. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0165392Little D, Nagele E, Gallagher M, Weston M.What day is today? A case of a patient who developed significant anterograde amnesia with abnormal signal intensity in the medial temporal lobes on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the setting of substance abuse.Neurology. 2018;90(15 Suppl.):199.Sousa NMF.Rehabilitation in severe memory deficit: a case study.Dement Neuropsychol. 2017;11(2):213-216. doi:10.1590/1980-57642016dn11-020016Duff MC, Wszalek T, Tranel D, Cohen NJ.Successful life outcome and management of real-world memory demands despite profound anterograde amnesia.J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2008;30(8):931–945. doi:10.1080/13803390801894681
Allen RJ.Classic and recent advances in understanding amnesia.F1000Res. 2018;7:331. doi:10.12688/f1000research.13737.1
Dewar M, Della Sala S, Beschin N, Cowan N.Profound retroactive interference in anterograde amnesia: what interferes?.Neuropsychology. 2010;24(3):357–367. doi:10.1037/a0018207
American Psychological Association.Anterograde memory.
Michel A.Countering ‘neuromyths’ in the movies.Observer. 2015;28(3).
Csábi E, Benedek P, Janacsek K, Zavecz Z, Katona G, Nemeth D.Declarative and non-declarative memory consolidation in children with sleep disorder.Front Hum Neurosci. 2015;9:709. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00709
Brown TI, Rissman J, Chow TE, Uncapher MR, Wagner AD.Differential medial temporal lobe and parietal cortical contributions to real-world autobiographical episodic and autobiographical semantic memory.Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):6190. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-24549-y
Lee AC, Yeung LK, Barense MD.The hippocampus and visual perception.Front Hum Neurosci. 2012;6:91. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00091
Warren DE, Duff MC, Magnotta V, Capizzano AA, Cassell MD, Tranel D.Long-term neuropsychological, neuroanatomical, and life outcome in hippocampal amnesia.Clin Neuropsychol. 2012;26(2):335–369. doi:10.1080/13854046.2012.655781
Cavaco S, Feinstein JS, van Twillert H, Tranel D.Musical memory in a patient with severe anterograde amnesia.J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2012;34(10):1089–1100. doi:10.1080/13803395.2012.728568
Pluck G, Bravo Mancero P, Maldonado Gavilanez CE, et al.Modulation of striatum based non-declarative and medial temporal lobe based declarative memory predicts academic achievement at university level.Trends Neurosci Educ. 2019;14:1-10. doi:10.1016/j.tine.2018.11.002
Park YM, Shin HW.Zolpidem Induced sleep-related eating and complex behaviors in a patient with obstructive sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome.Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci. 2016;14(3):299–301. doi:10.9758/cpn.2016.14.3.299
Marshman LAG, Hennessy M, Delle Baite L, Britton G.Utility of retrograde amnesia assessment alone, compared with anterograde amnesia assessment in determining recovery after traumatic brain injury: prospective cohort study.World Neurosurg. 2018;110:e830-e834. doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2017.11.131
Ghannam M, Alshaer Q, Ukatu H, Alkuwaiti M, Streib C.Acute amnestic syndrome and ischemic stroke: A case series.Neurol Clin Pract. 2021;11(3):263-267. doi:10.1212/CPJ.0000000000000928
Wetherill RR, Fromme K.Alcohol-induced blackouts: A review of recent clinical research with practical implications and recommendations for future studies.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2016;40(5):922-935. doi:10.1111/acer.13051
Nahum L, Pignat JM, Bouzerda-Wahlen A, et al.Neural correlate of anterograde amnesia in Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome.Brain Topogr. 2015;28(5):760-770. doi:10.1007/s10548-014-0391-5
Boere E, Kamperman AM, van ’t Hoog AE, van den Broek WW, Birkenhäger TK.Anterograde amnesia during electroconvulsive therapy: a prospective pilot-study in patients with major depressive disorder.PLoS One. 2016;11(10):e0165392. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0165392
Little D, Nagele E, Gallagher M, Weston M.What day is today? A case of a patient who developed significant anterograde amnesia with abnormal signal intensity in the medial temporal lobes on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the setting of substance abuse.Neurology. 2018;90(15 Suppl.):199.
Sousa NMF.Rehabilitation in severe memory deficit: a case study.Dement Neuropsychol. 2017;11(2):213-216. doi:10.1590/1980-57642016dn11-020016
Duff MC, Wszalek T, Tranel D, Cohen NJ.Successful life outcome and management of real-world memory demands despite profound anterograde amnesia.J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2008;30(8):931–945. doi:10.1080/13803390801894681
Smith CN, Frascino JC, Hopkins RO, Squire LR.The nature of anterograde and retrograde memory impairment after damage to the medial temporal lobe.Neuropsychologia. 2013;51(13):2709-2714. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.09.015
Talmi D, Caplan JB, Richards B, Moscovitch M.Long-term recency in anterograde amnesia.PLoS One. 2015;10(6):e0124084. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0124084
Meet Our Review Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
What is your feedback?
