title: Mild cognitive impairment does entail retrograde amnesia for public events.
abstract: In this study memory for public events was evaluated in 15 amnesic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients, whose clinical diagnosis was refined through a stringent selection procedure. A total of 9 patients were longitudinally reassessed over an 18-month period. About half of the participants were impaired at baseline and nearly 80% at the end of the 18-month follow-up. Moreover, retrograde memory declined significantly over time. Evidence of a pathological Ribot-type temporal gradient was found in about half of the aMCI patients. This is the first report of a remote memory deficit in aMCI. It highlights amnesia for public events as a frequent accompaniment of this condition. The findings tie in with the hypothesized role of the hippocampal complex in long-term memory.
authors.affiliation: Third Neurological Department, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bizzozero
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lucchelli
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Saetti
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Spinnler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000648:Amnesia, Retrograde / Q000150:complications*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D005197:Famous Persons; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D013997:Time Factors