Remote Memory Function in Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

Remote memory for public and personal events was evaluated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), using a series of recall and recognition tests. Information related to content and date of past events was assessed separately. In recall of the content of personal and public events, both groups showed a gradient of deficit in which remote events were affected less than recent ones; the magnitude and temporal extent of the retrograde loss was related to severity of dementia. By contrast, gradient effects were not evident in the recall of date and were less marked in the recognition of content or date. In public and personal events tests, patients with PD showed a relative impairment in dating capacity, compared with their memory for the content of events, which was independent of dementia. These results suggest that dementia affects the recall of distant events less than recall of recent ones. Furthermore, the selective gradient effects in recall of content suggest that memory for date is served by cognitive processes independent of memory for event content. In PD, dating capacity is a sensitive measure of remote memory function that may be disrupted independently of dementia.

Impaired capacity for autonoetic reliving during autobiographical event recall in mild Alzheimer's disease

“…The profile of retrograde amnesia in AD tends to present as a negative temporal gradient in accordance with Ribot's Law (Ribot, 1881) and this is most commonly observed on episodic subscales of ABM assessments (Eustache et al, 2004;Graham and Hodges, 1997;Greene et al, 1995;Kopelman et al, 1989;Piolino et al, 2003b;Sagar et al, 1988) with impaired recent recall of events in comparison with the more remote epochs.…”

Consolidation theory and retrograde amnesia in humans

“…Parkinson's Graded RA: Sagar, Cohen, Sullivan, Corkin, & Growdon (1988). Flat RA: Beatty, Goodkin, Monson, Beatty, & Hartsgaard (1988);Freedman, Rivoira, Butters, Sax, & Feldman (1984); Huber, Shuttleworth, & Paulson (1986); Venneri et al (1997).…”

“…Alzheimer's Graded RA: Beatty, Salmon, Butters, Heindel, & Granholm (1988); Beatty & Solomon (1991); Kopelman (1989); Sagar et al (1988). Flat RA: Dall'Ora, Della Sala, & Spinnler (1989); Daniel, Crovitz, & Weiner (1987); R. Wilson, Kaszniak, & Fox (1981).…”

The loss of episodic memories in retrograde amnesia: single–case and group studies

“…Cermak 1984;Weiskrantz 1985;Sagar et al 1988). In other words, the contextual components of these memories become attenuated or lost, making the memories feel much less immediate and vivid, but they are better preserved.…”