How is it that people who suffer from amnesia retain the ability to comprehend and speak the language they did prior to the event that caused the amnesia?
In: Biology
There are different kinds of amnesia. None of them look like how amnesia is typically portrayed in movies and TV.
Quite often speech and language skills are affected, as are basic skills like tying shoes, holding a pen or pencil, doing up buttons and so on.
It all depends on the type of amnesia, which areas of the brain are damaged and how bad the damage is. Sometimes what was lost can be regained, but about half the time whatever is lost is gone for good.
I know a woman who had a pair of mild strokes (TIA) and pretty much lost all of the 70s. It affected her balance for a few years as well. Everything else is intact. (retrograde amnesia)
A man I know has had multiple minor strokes and two severe strokes. He’s lost a fair bit of vocabulary and the ability to tie knots or use a map and compass. He also struggles with forming and accessing short term memories. (retrograde and anterograde amnesia)
Latest Answers