| Temporal Lobe Brain Damage in Alzheimer's |
Alzheimer's ultimately affects all parts of the brain but each person is affected differently as the disease progresses. In part this is due to the nature and extent of damage being caused to different areas of the brain. Each section of the brain is known as a lobe; a lobe simply means a part of an organ (earlobe for example). Here, we examine the effects of damage to the temporal lobe of the brain (see picture).
The temporal lobes of the brain are essential for memory. Our memory for events is known as episodic memory. Episodic memory helps us to remember things such as where we left the car keys. For this type of memory to work we need to be able to take in new knowledge and hold on to it, a process known as encoding. Properly encoded information makes the next stage of episodic memory, known as retrieval, a little easier (I left the car keys in the kitchen).
Damage to the temporal lobes, and parts of the frontal lobes, means that while certain objects might be recognized there is little or no ability to capture new information and remember it later. Because there are different types of memory each is affected differently according to the severity of damage. In such circumstances a person with early memory problems can be helped to recall information with cues such as photographs, or reminding the person of other people who were at a particular event, and so on.
People sometimes wonder why memory for events is so problematic in Alzheimer's, yet the person doesn't seem to forget words, can still construct sentences, and can remember other facts? This is because another type of memory, known as semantic memory, is being used. It is episodic memory that is most affected in Alzheimer's disease. This may help to explain why it can be a little disconcerting to listen to your mother tell you how to bake a cake but in the next breath ask where they are and who you are.
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11/11/2005
