Amnesia

Amnesia refers to partial, but serious, loss of memory. For example, someone can't remember their mom's maiden name or what happened last Christmas, but may recall the joke their little brother told them a few seconds ago. Unlike in the movies, real-life amnesia generally doesn't mean you lose your sense of identity. In fact, amnesiacs know who they are, but may have trouble learning new facts and forming new memories. Amnesia is believed to be caused by damage to areas of the brain where memories are processed and stored. Transient global amnesia is a short-term loss of memory. Amnesic syndrome is long-term memory loss and can be permanent. While there's no specific treatment, techniques for enhancing memory and psychological support can help amnesiacs and their families cope.

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QWhat causes childhood amnesia?

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A Discovery Health answered

Even a century after Freud's theories of repressed memories, researchers have not pinned down a precise explanation for why childhood amnesia occurs.
Research of children's memory capabilities, rather than that of adults', just began during the past 20 years. The research has yielded a batch of new questions regarding the nuances of young children's memory.
The rationale behind childhood amnesia for quite some time had rested on the assumption that babies had not yet developed the memory-making part of their brains. The thinking was that around age 3, children's capabilities quickly accelerated to adult levels.
QWhat prescription drugs can cause the side effect of amnesia?

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A Stacy Wiegman, PharmD , Pharmacy, answered

Any drugs that help you sleep or relax could cause amnesia. These include sleep aids like Ambien (zolpidem) or anxiety medications like Valium (diazepam). Valium is in a class of medications called benzodiazepines, and other drugs like it include Xanax (alprazolam), Klonopin (clonazepam), and Ativan (lorazepam). A strange phenomenon that has occurred with benzodiazepines is called anterograde amnesia where you can't make new memories after you take the drug for a period of time. It doesn't appear to be related to the dose--it seems some people just react that way to the drugs.

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QWhat is retrograde amnesia?

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A Discovery Health answered

Retrograde amnesia is a condition in which someone is unable to recall stored memories, such as their mother's maiden name or what happened during the holidays - but they may recall a story someone just told them moments ago.
Retrograde memory is not a very common condition.
QWhat is anterograde amnesia?

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A Discovery Health answered

Someone who is suffering from anterograde amnesia is unable to recall incidents that occur after the onset of amnesia. It is the form of amnesia that is central to the plot in "Memento," a movie in which the main character suffers a blow to the head and suffers brain damage. Because of this injury, he is unable to form new memories.