What Is the Difference Between Amnesia & Dementia?

Amnesia and dementia have certain common features though they are very different disorders. Both conditions can make life difficult for those who suffer from them.

Definition

• Amnesia, which is also called amnestic syndrome, is a condition involving the loss of memories of facts, information and personal experiences. Dementia is not a disease but rather the loss of mental functions, such as cognition, memory, and language capabilities, which can be caused by various diseases.

Types

• Amnesia caused by brain damage, such as stroke, encephalitis, and tumors, is called neurological or organic amnesia; amnesia resulting from extreme stress or psychological trauma is called psychogenic or dissociative amnesia. Different types of dementia include Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia.

Cause

• Amnesia may be caused by damage to the limbic system of the brain, which regulates memory. Causes of dementia include Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease, stroke, toxic reactions to drugs and alcohol, brain tumors, and head injury.

Symptoms

• Primary symptoms of amnesia include impaired ability to learn and remember new information and an inability to recall past events. General symptoms of dementia may include memory loss, inability to learn and remember new information, impaired language capabilities, changes in personality, hallucinations, and agitation.

Treatment

• According to MayoClinic.com, there is no specific treatment for amnesia. Medications such as Aricept, Exelon, Razadyne, and Namenda may slow the progression of symptoms of dementia.