Dissoziative ("psychogene") Gedächtnisstörungen - Neuropsychologie und funktionelle Hirnbildgebung

Abstract

Memory disorders are one of the most common consequences of brain damage. In addition, memory deficits can be caused by severe stress and traumatic experiences. In patients with dissociative or psychogenic amnesia, i.e. individuals who are unable to remember their autobiography or parts of their biography following stressful or traumatic events, functional brain changes can be demonstrated in the absence of structural brain damage. These functional brain changes mainly comprise regions within the frontal and temporal lobes, which are - in healthy individuals - involved in remembering emotional events related to the self. Functional alterations are dynamic, meaning that they can recede in the course of recovering from amnesia. In this paper, we give a brief introduction on memory systems and the association between stress and memory. Thereafter, we describe examples of patients with psychogenic amnesia and summarise neuropsychological results and brain imaging findings.