Table Of ContentTHE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
MEMORY AND
MEMORY DISORDERS
Second Edition
Carol Turkington and
Joseph R. Harris, Ph.D.
The Encyclopedia of Memory and Memory Disorders, Second Edition
Copyright © 2001 by Carol Turkington
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Turkington, Carol.
The encyclopedia of memory and memory disorders / Carol Turkington and Joseph Harris—2nd ed.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8160-4141-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Memory—Encyclopedias. 2. Memory disorders—Encyclopedias.
I. Harris, Joseph, 1951 Dec. 20– II. Title.
BF371. N55 2001
153.1'2'03—dc21 00-052806
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CONTENTS
Foreword v
Introduction vii
Entries A–Z 1
Appendixes 243
Glossary 259
References 261
Index 273
FOREWORD
or psychologists in general, and for psycholo- autopsy, but we still argue over the nature of
Fgists working with memory function in particu- attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning
lar, we live in fascinating but frustrating times. disabilities and normal versus abnormal changes in
Easily half of the articles in my “To Be Read” file cognition that come with aging.
have something to do with memory or memory In this revision of the 1994 volume, Carol Turk-
disorders. Five of the six psychological evaluations ington and I have attempted to update previous
I recently completed for individuals seeking Social entries with new findings, provide updates of diag-
Security disability benefits were for applicants nostic and treatment tools, as well as add new top-
claiming a disorder related to memory. ics that reflect the current state of knowledge of
As we complete the revision of this volume, memory and memory disorders. We have at-
researchers have just announced completion of a tempted to strike a balance between comprehen-
major part of the Human Genome Project. They sive coverage appropriate for professionals seeking
promise that we will shortly be able to unlock information pertinent to their fields and a broad
many of the mysteries of how thinking processes coverage appropriate for students and general
develop, as well as develop vaccines and cures for readers who do not want to get lost in technical jar-
many of the diseases and genetic abnormalities that gon or drown in an esoteric “alphabet soup.” We
cause the cognitive disorders that plague us. At the have strived to make the entries readable and
same time, we continue to puzzle over the nature informative.
and mechanisms of memory as well as the causes As I look back on the additions to the body of
of and cures for disorders such as Alzheimer’s and knowledge about memory and memory disorders
Parkinson’s disease. that we have experienced between the previous
Researchers still search frantically for a “smart edition and this, I cannot help but marvel at the
pill” or “memory pill” that will help students per- additions in our knowledge that will likely come
form better in school and elderly patients regain about between this revision and the next.
some of their lost memory. We are seeing rapid I can’t wait.
advances in our ability to scan and map the brains —Joseph R. Harris, Ph.D.
of living patients without having to wait until
v
INTRODUCTION
hroughout history, memory has worn many wind, the sound of a child’s laughter, the image of
Tguises. To the ancient Greeks and Romans, the beloved. In the final analysis, it is our memory
memory was the source of political success. To later that makes us fully human, because it distills the
memory experts, it was the path to spiritual fulfill- rich diversity of experience into the essence of the
ment. To countless preliterate tribes, memory car- soul.
ried the key to the history of their people. This book has been designed as a guide and ref-
With the advent of the alphabet, of the written erence to a wide range of terms related to memory
word, of typewriters and computers and satellites, and to additional information and addresses of
memory no longer holds the mystical, spiritual organizations that deal with memory and memory
magic it offered our ancestors. For many in today’s disorders. It is not a substitute for prompt assess-
world, a good memory is nothing more than a sort ment and treatment by experts trained in the diag-
of intellectual shorthand, an easier way to study, to nosis of memory problems.
succeed in business, to live an organized life. In this new, revised edition, we have tried to
But in a deeper sense, there is far more to mem- present the latest information in the field of mem-
ory than recalling dates, finding car keys or cram- ory disorders. All-new topics include
ming for a history final. It is our memory that mad cow disease
transforms a series of unconnected moments into a Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (both classical and
continuous unified whole, linking us to our past variant)
and pointing the way into the future. prions
We are compassionate because we remember Lewy body dementia
what it is to feel pain. We buttress our lives against ADHD and memory
disaster because we remember what disaster has cell phones and memory
cost in the past. Our memory gives us a future football and memory loss
more secure than creatures who are doomed to
smart drugs
repeat their past simply because they cannot
the proteins of Alzheimer’s (tau, amyloid beta,
remember it. It can rescue us from a fate that
apolipoprotein)
awaits those destined to obliteration because they
Alzheimer’s drugs
cannot adapt to changed circumstances.
organic mental disorders
Our memory has made possible the develop-
plasticity
ment of philosophy and science and song. More
personally, it is the repository of our deepest emo- In addition, almost every entry has been revised,
tions and our most compelling experiences. After many with extensive updates, including a total
all, it is our memory that holds the scent of the sea revision of entries on memory itself, plus the
vii
viii The Encyclopedia of Memory and Memory Disorders
newest information on Alzheimer’s disease, such as order and memory and includes a complete discus-
the most recent findings in the etiology of sion of the wide variety of memory tests now avail-
Alzheimer’s and the newest four-drug treatments able.
for the disease recently approved by the Food and The appendixes have been completely updated,
Drug Administration. Other updated information including all addresses and phone numbers of orga-
includes details on the latest findings about mild nizations. In addition, Internet addresses for the
cognitive impairment and its possible link to Alz- websites of relevant organizations have been pro-
heimer’s disease, the newest information on aging vided.
and memory loss, and how to tell what’s normal Information in this book comes from the most
and what may be pathological when it comes to up-to-date sources available and includes some of
memory problems. the most recent research in the field of memory
Readers will also find the latest information on disorders. Readers should keep in mind, however,
a wide range of other memory-related disorders that changes occur very rapidly in this field. A bib-
and revised details on vitamins and memory loss, liography has been provided for readers who seek
memory and brain development, memory of child additional sources of information. All entries are
abuse, stress, transient ischemic attacks, nootropic cross-referenced, and appendices provide addi-
drugs, and much more. In addition, the revised tional information.
edition discusses the newest information on the
link between medications and memory loss, diet —Carol Turkington
and dementia, attention deficit hyperactivity dis- Cumru, Pennsylvania
A
abaissement du niveau mental A term meaning While everyone may be absentminded occasion-
“lowering of the level of consciousness” invented ally, as people age they tend to become more
by French psychiatrist Pierre Janet to describe the absentminded. The phenomenon occurs most
weakening control of consciousness prior to DISSO- often in familiar surroundings, during habitual
CIATION. Today this term usually refers to ALTERED automatic activities that don’t require much atten-
STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS. tion and when the mind is distracted or preoccu-
Janet believed this altered state of consciousness pied with outside stress.
was found not just in dissociation but also in mul- If absentmindedness is due primarily to not
tiple personality, trances and automatic writing. He paying attention, it can be averted by putting
used the term to describe the weakening of willful more energy into registering information. People
control of consciousness and the subsequent disso- who always forget where they put their keys
ciation into autonomous parts that might not be might try saying out loud, “I’m putting my keys
aware of each other. down HERE,” as they set them down. Then the
Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung picked up Janet’s keys should be looked at, while noticing what is
term to describe schizophrenia; Jung believed this being done. The only cure for absentmindedness is
lowering of consciousness was the root of the men- finding better ways to pay attention to daily activ-
tal disorder. In 1902 in Paris Jung became a student ities.
of Janet and was influenced by Janet throughout
his life. abstract memory This term refers to a person’s
While Janet wrote widely in French, very few of general store of knowledge. This type of memory
his works have been translated into English. (See has a huge capacity for storing meanings of events
also JANET, PIERRE.) and objects. Its center is believed to be located in
the CORTEX, the brain’s outer gray layer. Damage to
abreaction Emotional release or discharge after the temporal, parietal and occipital cortex affects
recalling a painful experience that has been abstract memory in different ways.
repressed because it was consciously intolerable. A
therapeutic effect sometimes occurs through partial
acalculia A specific impairment in dealing with
discharge or desensitization of the painful emotions
arithmetical concepts.
and increased insight. (See also REPRESSED MEMO-
RIES; REPRESSION.)
accident neurosis See AMNESIA, SIMULATED.
absentmindedness Failure to register informa-
tion because of preoccupation with other thoughts. acetylcholine A type of neurotransmitter (a
This kind of forgetting is not the same thing as the chemical that transmits messages between nerve
inability to recall information, which means that cells) that may play a role in learning and memory
the information has been registered and stored. In by helping brain cells in the CORTEX retain the
absentmindedness, the information was never reg- imprint of incoming information. (See NEURO-
istered in the first place, so it can’t be recalled. TRANSMITTERS AND MEMORY.) Acetylcholine is vital
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