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Developmental amnesia: a new pattern of dissociation with intact episodic memory
Christine M Temple1, Paul Richardson
1Developmental Neuropsychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK. tempc@essex.ac.uk
Neuropsychologia
|March 24, 2004
Summary
A child with developmental amnesia shows intact episodic memory but impaired semantic memory. This case highlights separate development of memory systems and suggests developmental amnesia may be more common than previously thought.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Investigating developmental amnesia, a rare condition affecting memory formation.
- Understanding the distinct roles of semantic and episodic memory in cognitive development.
Observation:
- A case study of child CL with normal intelligence but impaired semantic memory (facts, word meanings) and intact episodic memory.
- CL demonstrated intact verbal and visual episodic memory recall and recognition, alongside intact lexical decision tasks.
- Reading difficulties included irregular words and homophones, indicating surface dyslexia with poor lexico-semantic skills but intact phonological skills.
Findings:
- CL's profile presents a double dissociation with previously reported cases, where semantic memory is intact but episodic memory is impaired.
- This dissociation supports the theory of separate development and modularity of semantic and episodic memory systems.
- Preserved knowledge of arithmetical facts suggests numeracy is distinct from general semantic knowledge.
Implications:
- Suggests that semantic and episodic memory systems can develop independently.
- Supports models of modular memory architecture and functional architecture for developmental disorders.
- Highlights the potential for developmental amnesia to be more prevalent than currently recognized, necessitating broader screening.