Shakespeare called memory "the warder of the brain," charged with keeping watch over an individual's personal account of being. Should this sentry begin to fail, a person's own record of self can become endangered. Memory loss ranges from age-associated memory impairment, which is a normal degree of forgetfulness, to mild cognitive impairment to dementias, such as Alzheimer's disease, that can profoundly affect a person's ability to function.
Although Alzheimer's is irreversible, memory impairment resulting from other causes, such as depression or thyroid problems can be improved with treatment. So it is important if you begin experiencing memory troubles to have your condition accurately diagnosed. In this section we outline and describe the different types of memory loss, including:
- Age-associated memory impairment
- Mild cognitive impairment
- Dementia--red flag changes
- How it is diagnosed
- Reversible dementia
Memory loss as a medication side effect
Memory loss as a result of depression
Memory loss resulting from a medical condition
- Irreversible dementia
Vascular dementia
Dementia with Lewy bodies
Frontotemporal dementia
Huntington's disease
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Amnestic syndrome (amnesia)
Alzheimer's disease
