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Clinical and Pharmacological Perspectives for Treating Memory Failures

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Memory Improvement

Abstract

In this chapter, we provide a brief review of some of the current schemes, or models, that are available for defining the structures and processes that are involved in memory functions from both a psychological and biological perspective. This perspective is relevant for considering strategies for improving memory since the techniques that prove useful would be logically based upon what we know about the structures and processes that together operate to establish and maintain memory. We provide an overview of some of the prototypic types of memory failures associated with prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders. We discuss some pharmacological strategies that have been developed on the basis of what we know about the psychobiology of normal and impaired memory functions. In discussing these issues we first consider some of the methodological issues that must be taken into account in using drugs to alter memory functions. We review findings from studies demonstrating the highly selective memory response to drug treatments in normal controls and memory-impaired Alzheimer’s disease patients.

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© 1992 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.

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Weingartner, H., Herrmann, D. (1992). Clinical and Pharmacological Perspectives for Treating Memory Failures. In: Herrmann, D.J., Weingartner, H., Searleman, A., McEvoy, C. (eds) Memory Improvement. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2760-1_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2760-1_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7656-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-2760-1

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