At this type of amnesia, new information can still be processed, stored, and recalled.
Memory loss may be temporary or permanent, but with more severity than usual forgotten.
The term "retrograde amnesia" is used to categorize a collection of symptoms and does not indicate a specific etiology.
The following steps will show you how to diagnose retrograde amnesia.
1. Collect patient's health history. Inquire about new diseases and trauma suffered, medications taken (emotional and physical), and the history of medicine and surgery performed recently.
Retrograde amnesia have various causes, but generally can be classified into two: the neurological and psychological.
2. Perform a physical examination to determine the patient's general health.
To diagnose amnesia general clinical and neurological examination to detect the absence of memory impairment occurs.
3. Conduct psychological tests to determine the extent of amnesia and memory impairment that occurs.
Undetectable brain damage during the examination may indicate emotional disturbance as a cause retrograde amnesia.
4. Run a blood test to check for chemical imbalances or metabolic causes.
Amnesia caused by drug abuse can cause retrograde amnesia.
Amnesia usually stops when drug use is stopped, but will re-appear if the drugs are used again.
5. Perform imaging tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect brain damage.
Neurological amnesia typically involves little to moderate level of retrograde amnesia.
