How long can amnesia last?
Retrograde amnesia
Studies on specific cases demonstrate how particular impaired areas of the hippocampus are associated with the severity of RA. Damage can be limited to the CA1 field of the hippocampus, causing very limited RA for about 1 to 2 years. More extensive damage limited to the hippocampus causes temporally graded amnesia for 15 to 25 years. Another study also suggests that large medial temporal lobe lesions, that extend laterally to include other regions, produce more extensive RA, covering 40 to 50 years. These findings suggest that density of RA becomes more severe and long-term as the damage extends beyond the hippocampus to surrounding structures.
Memory Bridge
The Memory Bridge Initiative is a twelve-week, curriculum-based after-school program for junior high and high school students. Students are paired with residents of nearby long-term care facilities with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. The student and person with dementia meet four times over the twelve-week course. The program develops students’ emotional and social intelligence while keeping individuals with Alzheimer’s disease in long-term care facilities meaningfully connected to people in their community.