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Episodic and Semantic Memory Disorders

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Book cover Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia

Part of the book series: Clinical Handbooks in Neuropsychology ((CHNEURO))

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Abstract

In its most pure form, the human amnesic syndrome involves a disabling impairment in new learning accompanied by some degree of impairment in aspects of remote memory in the context of relatively normal intellectual ability, language, and attention span. Neuropsychological research has clearly shown that lesions within the brain’s extended memory system (medial temporal lobe, diencephalon, and basal forebrain) produce anterograde amnesia while leaving other aspects of memory (retrieval of general knowledge, vocabulary, names) relatively intact. The episodic–semantic distinction has been useful in explaining key characteristics of the human amnesic syndrome. This chapter provides a framework for characterizing the distinction between “episodic” and “semantic” memory and discusses the clinical features and assessment of disordered function in each of these two domains.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Russell M. Bauer, Leslie Gaynor & Charles Moreno

  2. Semel Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Taylor Kuhn

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  1. Russell M. Bauer
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  2. Leslie Gaynor
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  4. Taylor Kuhn
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Correspondence to Russell M. Bauer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Lisa D. Ravdin

  2. Department of Neurology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Heather L. Katzen

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Bauer, R.M., Gaynor, L., Moreno, C., Kuhn, T. (2019). Episodic and Semantic Memory Disorders. In: Ravdin, L.D., Katzen, H.L. (eds) Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia. Clinical Handbooks in Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93497-6_37

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