| Abstract: | One complicating feature of neuropsychological testing with amnesic patients is the fact that amnesic patients differ in terms of the pattern of their lesions and in terms of what damage is present in addition to the lesions that cause amnesia. Accordingly, as the questions asked of amnesic patients have become more sophisticated, it has become increasingly important in every group of study patients to obtain information about both the severity and the selectiveness of memory impairment. The suitability of several memory tests and other cognitive tests for the purpose of characterizing amnesic patients is considered. Data from these tests are presented for 10 amnesic patients (6 with Korsakoff's syndrome, 3 with amnesia owing to anoxia or ischemia, and case N.A.), who constitute our standing population of study patients, and for two control groups. Data from most of the tests are also presented for patients who were amnesic following bilateral electroconvulsive therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
