Memory

Contents

• Introduction 
• What is memory? 
• What causes memory problems? 
• Memory difficulties in people with epilepsy 
• How are people with memory problems affected?
• Neuropsychological memory assessment 
• Memory enhancement strategies 
• Specific memory problems 
  • remembering to do something
  • remembering people’s names
  • remembering where you put something
  • remembering what people tell you
  • remembering what you are reading
  • remembering how to get somewhere
  • Summary
• Hints for helpers 

This information was written by Epilepsy Action’s advice and information team with guidance and input from people living with epilepsy and medical experts.

Our thanks

Epilepsy Action would like to thank Professor Gus Baker of the University of Liverpool, Amy J Hothersall and Jenna E Mallows for their contribution to this information.

Disclosure

Professor Gus Baker has no conflict of interest.

Because this page is written by an epilepsy healthcare professional and not by Epilepsy Action, it falls outside the requirements of the Information Standard. This is why the Information Standard logo is not shown on this page.

Introduction

A self help guide for improving memory functioning in people with epilepsy.
It is widely recognised that people with epilepsy commonly complain about memory problems. This information, written by Professor Gus Baker and colleagues at the University of Liverpool, is a clear self-help guide to memory problems in people with epilepsy. This information is also useful for carers. It explains the difficulties that can be faced and provides simple strategies that may help the individual to overcome them.

What is memory?

Memory is the ability to recall past experience and knowledge. It is divided into short-term memory and long-term memory. Short-term memory deals with information that is to be remembered over a period of a few minutes, and long-term memory deals with anything that is to be remembered for longer than this.

Recording the memory in the first place is called encoding. The information is then passed from short-term to long-term memory for storage. Long-term memory is divided into three types.

• Procedural memory
  Activities which are carried out almost without thinking, for example, riding a bike.
• Semantic memory
  Knowledge that has been acquired but we are not sure when, for example, capital cities.
• Episodic memory
  Personal memories of everyday life.

Memory can also be divided into verbal and visual. Verbal memory is the ability to remember information which is perceived aurally, for example, words and sound. Visual memory is the ability to remember information that is provided visually, for example in terms of pictures and faces.

When we want to remember something, the information we need is brought back from long-term memory to short term memory. This is called retrieval.

If we have forgotten something it could be due to problems with:

• recording the memory in the first place (encoding)
• the storing of the memory (storage)
• recovering the memory from long term memory (retrieval).

What causes memory problems?

Everybody will experience some minor lapses in memory. These can occur when we are:

• under stress
• trying to concentrate on a number of things at once
• feeling unwell
• feeling tired.

Also, as we get older, lapses in memory can become more common. This variation is perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned about.

However, memory problems can be much more pronounced and long-term. They can be caused by a number of things, for example:

• a dementia type illness such as Alzheimer’s disease
• an infection of the brain, for example encephalitis
• a shortage of oxygen to the brain, as in cerebral palsy
• head injury
• certain types of stroke
• a brain tumour or brain haemorrhage
• epilepsy, on its own or with one of the above.

It is worthwhile noting that the cause of some of our memory problems may be due to another problem, which is resulting in impairment in memory. Here are some examples.

• An attention problem. If we do not pay attention to the information we are presented with then this information is not recorded by our memory.
• A language problem. Sometimes in conversation we find it hard to find the word that we are looking for. This can be misinterpreted as forgetting words.
• Anxiety and depression. People with an altered emotional state often experience memory difficulties. Those who experience anxiety can find their mind is too occupied with worrying thoughts to concentrate on things around them. Those who are low in mood can also feel lethargic and low in motivation, therefore lacking the attention needed to record a memory.
• Sleep disturbances. If we are not getting enough sleep then we can experience difficulty concentrating, which again disrupts our attention to information.