How to Diagnose Retrograde Amnesia

Retrograde amnesia is a partial or total loss of memory before a traumatic event. However, new information can be processed, stored and recalled. The loss of memory may be temporary or permanent but goes beyond ordinary forgetfulness. The term "retrograde amnesia" is used to categorize a collection of symptoms and does not indicate a particular etiology. The following steps will show how to diagnose retrograde amnesia.

Instructions

• 1

  Gather the patient history. Inquire about recent illnesses and trauma, (emotional and physical) medication, drug history and recent surgery. Retrograde amnesia can have a variety of causes but they are generally classified into neurological or psychological origins.

• 2

  Conduct a physical examination to check the patient's general health. A diagnosis of amnesia is primarily clinical and a neurologic examination typically detects the disturbed memory without any other deficits.

• 3

  Administer psychological exams to determine the extent of the amnesia and the memory systems that are affected. An absence of detectable brain damage may indicate an emotional disturbance as the cause of retrograde amnesia.

• 4

  Run blood tests to check for chemical imbalances or metabolic causes. Amnesia caused by drug abuse is selectively retrograde for events preceding intoxication. Once the intoxication resolves, it does not cause confusion and only recurs if the same drug is taken again.

• 5

  Take imaging scans such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect any brain damage. Neurologically based amnesia usually involves slight to moderate retrograde amnesia, although focal retrograde amnesia has been reported after brain injury to the hippocampus.