Mild cognitive impairment does entail retrograde amnesia for public events.
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.
Bizzozero
Ilaria
I
Third Neurological Department, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Lucchelli
Federica
F
Saetti
Maria Cristina
MC
Spinnler
Hans
H
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