Amnesia natural history

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief:Aditya Govindavarjhulla, M.B.B.S. [2]

Overview

Amnesia may progress slowly or suddenly, and maybe transient or permanent. The natural history and prognosis depends upon the underlying cause.

Natural History, Complications, Prognosis

The underlying cause of amnesia determines whether it presents slowly or suddenly, and whether it is temporary or permanent.

Another complication of amnesia is the inability to imagine the future. A recent study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that amnesiacs with a damaged hippocampus cannot imagine the future[3]. This is because when a normal human being imagines the future, they use their past experiences to construct a possible scenario. For example, a person who would try to imagine what would happen at a party in the near future would use their past experience at parties to help construct what the event might be like in the future.