Memory Loss and Explicit Memory
Current research is also being done to show that patients with severe neural degeneration can still be classically conditioned and learn new tasks without consciously recalling that they have ever learned them. This can prove to be helpful in the future with treatments of brain trauma and other neurodegenerative conditions.Alzheimer’s disease has a profound effect on explicit memory. Mild cognitive impairment is an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease. People with memory conditions often receive cognitive training. When an fMRI was used to view brain activity after training, it found increased activation in various neural systems that are involved with explicit memory . People with Alzheimer’s have problems learning new tasks. However, if the task is presented repeatedly they can learn and retain some new knowledge of the task. This effect is more apparent if the information is familiar. The person with Alzheimer’s must also be guided through the task and prevented from making errors . Alzheimer’s also has an effect on explicit spatial memory. This means that people with Alzheimer’s have difficulty remembering where items are placed in unfamiliar environments . The hippocampus has been show to become active in semantic and episodic memory . The effects of Alzheimer’s disease are seen in the episodic part of explicit memory. This can lead to problems with communication. A study was conducted where Alzheimer’s patients were asked to name a variety of objects from different periods. The results shown that their ability to name the object depended on frequency of use of the item and when the item was first acquired . This effect on semantic memory also has an effect on music and tones. Alzheimer’s patients have difficulty distinguishing between different melodies they have never heard before. People with Alzheimer’s also have issues with picturing future events. This is due to a deficit in episodic future thinking .
Read more about this topic: Explicit Memory
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