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Short Term Memory Loss
The scientific term for short term
memory loss is anterograde amnesia. In this form of amnesia, new
events are not transferred to long term memory. Once a sufferer’s
attention has shifted, he/she will not be able to recall events which
have only just happened. Different types of memories can be affected
separately by the condition. A person may be able, for example, to
recall new physical skills they have acquired, but not the events of
the day.
Short term memory loss may be caused by
damage to the hippocampus, fornix or mamilliary bodies. Damage to the
basal forebrain as well as to a set of structures in the brain known
as diencephalons can also cause the condition. Some medications, such
as benzodiazepines and imidazopyradines have also been known to have
an anterograde amnesiac effect. Heavy consumption of alcohol can also
cause the condition. The instigators of date rape cases often use
chemical submission by way of such substances as flunitrazepam, GHB
and temazepam to produce a state of anterograde amnesia in their
victims.
A person with anterograde amnesia will
still be able to remember things that happened before the onset of
the condition.
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