Testing of long term memory:

Dr.Roopchand.PSSenior Resident AcademicDepartment of Neurology

TDMC, Alappuzha

Memory:

• Ability of the brain to store and retrieve information.– Explicit memory: conscious, intentional

recollection of an event or item of information.– Includes – immediate, short term and long term

memories.– Implicit memory: Unconscious retention in

memory, as evidenced by the effect of a previous experience or previously encountered information on current thoughts or actions.

– Includes – motor memory.

Long term memory

Procedural memories

“Knowing how”

Declarative memories

“knowing that”

Semantic memories‘general knowledge’

Episodic memories‘Personal

recollection’

Contents of long term memory:

• Procedural memory:– Memories for performance of action or skills– “knowing how”

• Declarative memory:– Memories of facts, rules, concepts and events;

includes semantic and episodic memory.– “knowing that”

• Semantic memory:– General knowledge, including facts, rules,

concepts and propositions.• Episodic memories:– Personally experienced events and the contexts in

which they occurred.

How to Remember things!!!

• Maintenance rehearsal: rote repetition of material in order to maintain its availability in memory.

• Elaborative rehearsal: association of new information with already stored knowledge and analysis of new information to make it memorable.

Anatomic correlate of long term memory:

• Thought to reside in multiple cortical region.– Visual association cortex for visual memory.– Temporal cortex for auditory memory.– Left lateral temporal cortex : knowledge of word

meaning.• fMRI studies support this concept.• Memory can be retrieved with out the

hippocampal system from neo cortex.

Testing:

• Personal information:– Where were you born?– School information– Vocation history– Family information

• Historic Facts:– Always consider patients education level.– Ask about common historic facts, if possible

sequentially.

Registration vs Retrieval?

• A clue is the clue to it.

Procedural memory testing:

• Pursuit rotor task:• simple pure visual-motor tracking test that has

consistent results within age groups.• measurement of procedural memory as well as

demonstrates the participant's fine-motor skills.• Amnesic participants show no impairment in

this motor task when tested at later trials.• It does however seem to be affected by lack of

sleep and drug use

• Serial reaction time task:– having participants retain and learn procedural

skills that assess specific memory for procedural-motor skill.

– Patiets with Alzheimer's disease and amnesia demonstrate a long retention time which indicates that they are able to retain the skill and demonstrate effective performance of the task at a later point in time.

• Mirror tracing task:– looks at the integration of the senses .– it is a visual motor test where the participants

learn a new motor skill involving hand-eye coordination.

– Drawing the image is the work of your procedural memory.

– once you figure out how to draw the image in the mirror you have little difficulty the second time.

– Alzheimer’s disease are not able to recall the skills acquired in a mirror tracing task, but they acquire the procedural performance ability regardless

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