Psychology Chapter on Short-Term Memory

Cognitive Disorders

• Cognition is the brain's ability to process, retain, and use information, including reasoning, judgment, perception, attention, comprehension, and memory.
• A cognitive disorder is a disruption or impairment in higher-level brain functions. It has devastating effects on daily life, impacting a person's ability to function, potentially causing them to forget family members' names, perform daily tasks, or neglect personal hygiene.
• Causes of cognitive disorders can include hormonal imbalances in the womb, genetics, environmental factors, substance abuse, and physical injury.
• Symptoms of a cognitive disorder can include confusion (identity confusion), poor motor coordination, loss of short-term or long-term memory, impaired judgment, emotional imbalance, speech problems, motor problems, hyperactivity or hypoactivity, sleep disturbance, hallucinations, and perceptual disturbance

Cognitive Primary Categories

• Delirium
• Dementia
• Amnestic disorders

Delirium

• Delirium is a syndrome characterized by a disturbance of consciousness and a change in cognition.
• It typically develops over a short period, sometimes within hours, and fluctuates throughout the day.
• Clients experiencing delirium often have difficulty concentrating, are easily distracted, and may exhibit sensory disturbances like hallucinations or illusions.

Risk Factors for Delirium

• Accidental or intentional poisoning
• Elderly clients
• Recent major surgery
• Head injury
• Infection
• Multiple drug therapy

Dementia

• Dementia is a mental disorder involving multiple cognitive deficits, memory impairment, and at least one of the following:
• Aphasia (language disturbance)
• Apraxia (impaired ability to carry out motor activities)
• Agnosia (failure to recognize or identify objects)
• Disturbance in executive functioning (e.g., planning, organizing, sequencing, abstracting)
• The onset and course of dementia are slow, progressive, and terminal.
• It typically takes 8 to 10 years from the onset of symptoms to death.
• Dementia leads to significant impairment in social and occupational functioning and long-term loss of the ability to think.
• Symptoms of dementia can include agitation, depression, tremors, balance problems, language difficulty, hallucinations, and anxiety.

Amnestic Disorders

• Amnestic disorders are a group of disorders involving loss of memories, loss of the ability to create new or learn new information.
• These disorders are caused by damage to the brain or disease.
• Symptoms of amnestic disorders typically include loss of memory, disorientation with time and space, a lack of insight into memory loss, and difficulty learning or recalling information.

Types of Amnesia

• Anterograde amnesia: The inability to form new memories after an injury or event.
• Retrograde amnesia: The inability to recall memories that existed before the injury or event (opposite of anterograde amnesia).
• Transient global amnesia: A temporary loss of all memory, with both anterograde and a milder form of retrograde amnesia
• Infantile amnesia: The inability to remember events from infancy. It's common to almost everyone, and remembering things from infancy is rare.

Differentiating Cognitive Disorders

• Delirium: sudden onset, fluctuating symptoms, often reversible.
• Dementia: gradual onset, progressive, and largely irreversible symptoms.
• Amnestic Disorder: memory loss, more selective or gradual in development, could be reversible depending on cause.

Assessment of Cognitive Disorders

• Assess changes in cognitive functions (onset and course)
• Assess changes in functional status (e.g., self-care, cooking, finances, hygiene)
• Check for physical symptoms (nausea, vomiting, vision, hearing, speech, gait, balance, sensation, and motor functions)
• Evaluate general appearance and presence of aphasia, apraxia.
• Assess psychiatric symptoms (mood changes, behavioral and personality changes).
• Inquire about current medications, surgery, or trauma.
• Use the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE): a tool to assess cognitive function. This test grades cognitive function from zero (severe impairment) to 30 (no impairment).

Treatment of Cognitive Disorders

• Exercise and physical activity
• Sleep hygiene
• Relaxation techniques
• Cognitive training
• Psychotherapy
• Psychosocial support

Case Studies

• Provided case studies illustrating different cognitive disorders and their specific characteristics. These case studies illustrate real-world examples.