Remote memory function in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease

H. J. Sagar, N. J. Cohen, E. V. Sullivan, S. Corkin, J. H. Growdon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Remote memory for public and personal events was evaluated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), using a series of recall and recognition tests. Information related to content and date of past events was assessed separately. In recall of the content of personal and public events, both groups showed a gradient of deficit in which remote events were affected less than recent ones; the magnitude and temporal extent of the retrograde loss was related to severity of dementia. By contrast, gradient effects were not evident in the recall of date and were less marked in the recognition of content or date. In public and personal events tests, patients with PD showed a relative impairment in dating capacity, compared with their memory for the content of events, which was independent of dementia. These results suggest that dementia affects the recall of distant events less than recall of recent ones. Furthermore, the selective gradient effects in recall of content suggest that memory for date is served by cognitive processes independent of memory for event content. In PD, dating capacity is a sensitive measure of remote memory function that may be disrupted independently of dementia.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)185-206
Number of pages22
JournalBrain
Volume111
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1988
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Neurology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Remote memory function in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this