Downloaded from pn.bmj.com on 5 February 2007 42 Practical Neurology HOW TO UNDERSTAND IT Pract Neurol 2007; 7: 42–47 Memory dysfunction in neurological practice Andrew E Budson, Bruce H Price A E Budson Geriatric Research Educational Clinical Center, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, MA; Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Boston University, Boston, MA; Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA B H Price Department of Neurology, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Correspondence to: Dr A E Budson Building 62, Room B30, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, 200 Springs Road, Bedford, MA 01730, USA;
[email protected] Downloaded from pn.bmj.com on 5 February 2007 Budson, Price 43 omplaints of impaired memory are Episodic memory is the explicit and declarative among the most common symptoms reported to neurologists. Moreover, memory system that we all use to recall our C impairment of memory is one of the personal experience most disabling aspects of many neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative dis- eases, strokes, tumours, head trauma, collection of mental abilities that use hypoxia, cardiac surgery, malnutrition, atten- different systems within the brain. A memory tion deficit disorder, depression, anxiety, system is a way that the brain processes medication adverse effects, and just normal information in order to make it available for aging. This memory loss often impairs the use at a later time. Some systems are patient’s daily activities, profoundly affecting associated with conscious awareness (explicit) not just them but also their families.