Effects of the reduction of interference on memory consolidation in amnesic patients: a possible rehabilitation technique

• Grant number: 11/23383-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: February 28, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Cognitive Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Orlando Francisco Amodeo Bueno
• Grantee: Orlando Francisco Amodeo Bueno
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Anterograde amnesia refers to the loss of the ability to form new memories and have great impact on the daily lives of the affected individuals. The existing rehabilitation techniques intends to compensate for these difficulties through the use of calendars or exhaustive repetition of the material to be learned (using the preserved abilities of implicit memory). Recent studies have shown that most amnesic patients can learn materials presented only once if the presentation of this material is followed by a retention period with little interference. If these findings are replicated in our setting, they may lead to the development of alternative techniques of rehabilitation. This project aims to replicate these results and to identify if patients who do not benefit from the reduction of interference do not consolidate the memory or are not able to recover it (by comparing free recall techniques with memory recognition). Twelve amnesic patients matched for age, gender and education with a control group, will be submitted to word list learning tasks. After the presentation and immediate recall of each list, there will be a retention period that may be composed of a situation of little or too much interference. The individual will be in a room with no activity for 6 minutes for the little interference; and will carry out an activity that demands attention for the same period in the later situation. After the retention period, delayed recall will be done, via free recall or recognition. (AU)