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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation tDCS for Memory Enhancement

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Published on: September 18, 2021

Subjective Memory Ability and Long-Term Forgetting in Patients Referred for Neuropsychological Assessment.

Sieberen P van der Werf¹, Sofie Geurts², Maartje M E de Werd³

¹Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of AmsterdamAmsterdam, Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, OLVGAmsterdam, Netherlands.

Frontiers in Psychology

|May 21, 2016

Summary

Patients with memory complaints but normal test results show accelerated forgetting over one week. This indicates a delayed memory deficit not captured by standard assessments, impacting both recall and recognition.

Keywords:

episodic memory long-term forgetting memory complaints memory consolidation neuropsychological tests

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Area of Science:

Neuropsychology
Cognitive Psychology
Neurology

Background:

Memory complaints in patients without objective deficits are common.
Accelerated forgetting is a potential explanation for these subjective memory issues.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if patients with subjective memory complaints exhibit accelerated forgetting compared to controls.
To assess long-term memory recall and recognition in patients with normal standard memory test performance.

Main Methods:

Compared 1-week delayed recall and recognition test performance.
Included outpatients referred for neuropsychological assessment with normal standard memory test results.
Utilized a non-patient control group for comparison.

Main Results:

Both groups showed equal verbal learning and immediate delayed recall.
Patients performed significantly worse than controls on 1-week delayed recall and recognition.
Subjective memory ability correlated with short-term memory but not long-term forgetting rates.

Conclusions:

Patients with subjective memory complaints may experience accelerated long-term forgetting.
Standard memory assessments may not detect subtle, long-term memory deficits.
Delayed recall and recognition intervals are crucial for identifying memory issues in specific patient groups.