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Cognitive and mnestic impairments have a significant negative impact on the quality of parkinsonian patients’ life. Memory impairment causes changes in the mechanisms of information processing. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of transformations undergone by memorized visual and semantic content during memory consolidation and reconsolidation in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The study was conducted on 32 male patients with PD (ICD code: G20). Among the patients, 9 had rigidity/bradykinesia-d ominant PD, 11 had tremor-dominant PD, and 12 suffered from a mixed type of PD. Short-term memory span was assessed using the 10 words and the visual memory tests proposed by Luria. As stimulus materials we used a symbolic representation of the old Greek letter resembling an owl and a translated excerpt from a Canadian aboriginal epic. Regardless of the PD form, the quality of the memorized information was either altered or completely lost. The mechanisms underlying such transformations differed quantitively depending on the PD form. Transformation of the memorized information occurred in the conditions of both incidental and deliberate memorization and was represented by distortions (substitution of the original content with confabulations) and simplifications of the structural and semantic organization. We consolidated significantly lesser amount of auditory verbal (р = 0.018) and visual (p = 0.029) information. This trend was consistent with the pronounced distortion of content during its retrieval.

Sensory impairments (visual and auditory) reduce quantity and quality of the information input. The associated memory loss can be classified as intrinsic decline in memory functionalities or mere physiological effect of sensory deprivation. This study aimed to specify this issue by analyzing memory consolidation and reconsolidation processes in older people with sensory deficits. The study enrolled 65–75 year-old individuals (n = 61) distributed into four groups: patients with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (n = 17); patients with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (n = 14); patients with visual impairment (n = 19); and patients with combined sensory deficits (n = 11). The methods included Luria’s auditory-verbal (“10 words”) and visual memory tests and Bartlett’s experimental procedure. A decrease in memory volume for auditory-verbal and visual-figurative short-term memories was observed in all groups. The results reveal significant adverse dynamics of qualitative and quantitative indicators for memory consolidation and reconsolidation processes, associated with decreased volume of short-term memories, both auditory-verbal and visual-figurative. Based on these findings, we conclude that consolidation and reconsolidation efficiency depends on proper accommodation of the newly incoming information to already memorized modules (previous experience) and requires dosing of the newly incoming information in order to preserve its integrity at the stage of consolidation.

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