
It may not be possible to recover lost memories. The syndrome can cause problems at work, at school and in social settings. But even mild amnesia takes a toll on daily activities and quality of life. The chance of developing amnesia might increase if you've experienced:Īmnesia varies in severity and scope. In this disorder, people may lose personal memories and information about their lives. It can result from being the victim of a violent crime or experiencing other trauma. Mild head injuries typically don't cause lasting amnesia, but more-severe head injuries may cause permanent amnesia.Īnother rare type of amnesia, called dissociative amnesia, stems from emotional shock or trauma. This is especially common in the early stages of recovery. Head injuries that cause a concussion, whether from a car accident or sports, can lead to confusion and problems remembering new information. Certain medicines such as benzodiazepines or others that act as sedatives.Alzheimer's disease and other diseases that involve the degeneration of nerve tissue.Tumors in areas of the brain that control memory.

When this happens, it's called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Long-term alcohol misuse that leads to too little vitamin B-1, known as thiamin, in the body.This may happen as a result of a heart attack, respiratory distress or carbon monoxide poisoning. It also may be due to an autoimmune reaction in the absence of cancer.

Or inflammation may be a result of an autoimmune reaction to cancer somewhere in the body.

If someone you know has symptoms of amnesia, help the person get medical attention. People with amnesia may not know where they are or be able to seek medical care.

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. It also doesn't affect judgment, personality or identity. Isolated memory loss doesn't affect a person's intelligence, general knowledge, awareness or attention span. But they may not be able to name the current president, know the month or remember what they ate for breakfast. More-remote or deeply ingrained memories may be spared.įor example, people may recall experiences from childhood or know the names of past presidents. Recent memories are most likely to be lost. Most people with amnesia have problems with short-term memory, so they can't retain new information. Trouble remembering past events and previously familiar information.
