Causes and Effects of Anterograde Amnesia Essay

Anterograde amnesia is the inability to retain new information, after a mental shock or a brain injury, while the long-term information is retained. It is a disorder that disables the patient from creating fresh memories after an incident that leads to amnesia has occurred. The incidences of the recent past are forgotten and are made impossible to retrieve. However, the long-term memories regarding the events that happened before the disorder are not affected in the long run. It is a subgroup of amnesia together with Retrograde Amnesia, which refers to a mental disorder that makes it impossible for the victim to remember the long-term memories for the events before the tragic incident while fresh memories are easily created. Amnesia refers to memory loss, both the past and new information, caused by factors that interfere with the memory storage parts in the brain, the limbic system with its subcomponents; the hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, the thalamus and the epithalamus (Fadul J. A. 2014). It is a disorder that is believed to arise from malfunctioning of specific areas in the brain such as the cortex, specifically in hippocampus together with the subcortical regions. It is a disorder with no specific cure method. It is a mental disorder caused by some factors such as drug usage, alcohol abuse, brain concussion caused by head accidental injuries, severe stroke, electroshock therapy, tumor formation within the brain and Dementia. Some of its effects include memory loss, confusion, and inability to recognize people's faces or locations, and tremors.

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Notably, Anterograde amnesia is caused by the infection of Alzheimer's disease. It happens that it is a degenerative disease that destroys the memory and other mental functions such as cognition. It causes the brain cells to degenerate and dies, considerably causing a reduction in mental functions and memory. When the Alzheimer's diseases incapacitate the brain cells which are responsible for the storage of the most recent and current happenings, there will be no space for the storage of the most recent events. It is through such a process that forgetfulness of the recent most happenings results, hence causing Anterograde amnesia.

Additionally, stroke leads to Anterograde Amnesia. It happens that the brain cells only functions when it is adequately supplied with oxygen. Oxygen is in turn supplied by the blood that flows into the brain through the blood vessels. When a stroke occurs such that the blood vessels taking blood to the brain get to rapture and bleeding takes place, an extreme case occurs where the brain cells go through oxygen deprivation as a result of limited or no oxygen supply to the brain, they die and get damaged hence the brain functioning is adversely affected. One of such brain functions is the memory of the most recent events. They get to be forgotten leading to Anterograde Amnesia.

Besides, alcohol abuse leads to Anterograde disease. Alcohol naturally disrupts and interferes with the effective transfer of information in neurons. It also impairs the functioning of the brain areas concerned with the storage of the short term memories and cognition when the victim is under its influence. The hippocampus is responsible for the storage and transfer of the memories of the current events from the short term a long-term memory. It functions well when the person is sober. When alcohol is consumed, it interferes with its efficient functioning ab to remember the events that transpire as the consumer is under its influence. It is because it impairs its memory. Under such a condition, blackouts result to social drinkers in that the activities of the activities of hippocampus part of the brain are disrupted, crippling its role of transfer and retention of memories of the events that happen. Also, continued and excessive use of alcohol can cause a deficiency of Thiamine (Frater, J. 2011). Thiamine is a vitamin that helps the cells of the body to produce energy by changing carbohydrates. Such carbohydrates reused to provide energy to the body, more specifically the brain and the nervous system for the conduction of nerve signals. When the amount of Thiamine is reduced in the body as a result of excessive consumption of alcohol, the energy required for efficient functioning of brain regions such as the hippocampus is curtailed. It spells its inefficiency in transfer and storage of current events memories, hence causing Anterograde amnesia (Jain, K. K., Hogrefe Publishing., et al.2012). Therefore, alcohol consumption results to Anterograde Amnesia.

Moreover, Dementia leads to Anterograde amnesia. It refers to a condition characterized by a group of symptoms that are associated with the degeneration of memory or any other thinking skills that are severe to the extent of reducing a person's ability to attend to daily activities. It is accelerated by Alzheimer's disease and stroke, causing the death of brain cells. The normal blood flow to the brain is tampered with through such mishaps as blood vessel bleeding and bursting. The brain cells are thus deprived of the oxygen essential for respiration and efficiency in functioning. The death of brain cells can also be caused by other factors such as injury to the brain. As a result of the death of brain cells and oxygen deprivation from the brain cells and tissues, the memory of the happenings is thus affected, resulting in Anterograde amnesia.

Drug abuse and extended use of benzodiazepine drugs bring about Anterograde Amnesia. The use of hallucinogen drugs impairs with healthy brain activity. An example of such hallucinogens includes phencyclidine and mescaline. They disillusion the brains of users such that they gain a false perception of the surrounding. The real current happenings are not readily captured and stored by their brains because it is difficult for them to memorize and recall, mainly because their memories are under the influence of such hallucinogens. Also, the benzodiazepine drugs used for relaxing the muscles, inducing sleep and reducing seizures and anxiety have side effects when an overdose is used. Apart from bringing about dependence and tolerance, it induces dizziness, drowsiness, feelings of depression and poor coordination. It is under such conditions where the brain functioning of retention of memory and the current events is adversely altered, resulting in Anterograde amnesia.

Seizure disorders cause Anterograde amnesia. Seizure disorder refers to a condition in which a person experiences epilepsy. Epilepsy results when the cell activity is disturbed, hence causing seizures. It is a condition that arises out of the genetic inheritance of such a traitor as a result of an acquired brain injury. It only happens on one side of the brain. During the peak of its effect, the mind of the victim is unconscious to the events surrounding him/her. Anterograde amnesia results Since there is no perception of the current events together with their memories in the minds of the victims.

Brain tumor and Encephalitis causes. Brain tumor refers to the cancerous growth of uncontrollable cells in the brain. The brain cells and tissues become dead, and their respective functions such as relay and storage of events memories are tampered with. On the other hand, Encephalitis refers to the inflammation of the brain caused by either the immune system of the body attacking then tissues of the brain mistakenly or by the infection of the virus (Kaufman, D. M. 2013). The cell tissues of the brain get damaged and their proficient functioning tampered with. Under such conditions, the memories of the perceptions of the environment are not effectively stored in the hippocampus, leading to Anterograde Amnesia.

Electroshock therapy and brain surgery is done on patients cause Anterograde amnesia. Electroshock therapy refers to a procedure done on patients with recurrent brain problems as a last resort that is when other treatment alternatives have failed to give positive feedbacks. It is done through the passage of a small number of currents to the through the brain tissues to create artificial seizures meant to reverse particular mental illnesses. It was done on the patient who is anesthetized. However, when more significant amounts of currents are passed through such brain cells and tissues, they can get damaged and die, affecting the function of hippocampus regarding the storage of current event memories. Also, when the neurosurgeons do, mistakenly, cut and tamper with the nerves and brain cells responsible for transfer and storage of memories, the patient will end up with the impaired memory, hence causal agents of Anterograde amnesia.

Anterograde amnesia brings about the feelings of confusion and disorientation to the victims. As a result of the impaired storage of current event memories, the victim will, when he/she regains consciousness, have a problem of connecting what had just happened when under amnesia and the past events because they are well stored in the long-term memory. He/she will get confused regarding the nature of the recent happenings, hence disorientation.

Additionally, the victim is bound to have a difficulty recognizing familiar things when under Anterograde amnesia. Due to the failed memory of taking in new memories, he/she might fail even to notice and realize the facial appearances and names of relatives and friends. Also, such things as recognizing phone numbers or even performing everyday activities will be a great difficulty. Such a person's social life is adversely affected in the long run. In the event the percept environmental events can get into their brains, there will be difficulties retaining them for future references and as the typical lifestyles of human lives demand. It will thus be a significant disadvantage to their lifestyle landscape.

Conclusion

The patients with Anterograde amnesia have difficulties in learning. When people such as students are amnesiac, they will encounter quite a lot of challenges in their studies. Since they are supposed to learn, understand and remember them later during examinations, their adverse mental conditions will bring them down. It is vital because they will not be able to retain the academic content due to Anterograde amnesia haunting them. Their education will then be in dire straits owing to exam failure. Occasional tremors also affect the amnesiacs coupled with partial memory loss since they will only be remembering past events and failing to remember new ones

References

Fadul, J. A. (2014). Encyclopedia of theory & practice in psychotherapy & counseling. Raleigh, NC: Lulu Press.

Frater, J. (2011). I call bullshit: Debunking the most commonly repeated myths. Berkeley, Calif: Ulysses Press.

Jain, K. K., Hogrefe Publishing., & Ovid Technologies, Inc. (2012). Drug-induced neurological disorders. Toronto: Hogrefe Pub.

Kaufman, D. M. (2013). Kaufman's clinical neurology for psychiatrists.