Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 27, 2025

Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
Published on: August 30, 2011
The Retrograde Memory for News Events Test (RM-NET) and the relationship between news event memory and performance on
Andrew T J Cawley-Bennett1, Jennifer C Frascino2,3, Isabel E Asp3
1Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
Abstract:
Novel tests of semantic memory (SM)-for example, memory for news events (NE; news facts) or famous personalities-are useful for estimating the severity of retrograde amnesia. Individuals with mild cognitive impairment exhibit relatively intact SM/language on traditional neuropsychological tests but exhibit consistent impairment on novel tests of SM, suggesting novel SM tests are dissimilar from traditional SM tests. To identify the relationship between NE memory and traditional cognitive measures, older adults (N = 51) completed a traditional neuropsychological battery and the Retrograde Memory News Events Test (RM-NET; a new test that robustly measures NE memory across the adult life span with high temporal resolution), and the relationship between performance on these tests was examined. Total RM-NET scores were more closely aligned with episodic memory scores than SM scores. The strength of the association between NE scores and episodic memory scores decreased as the age of NE memory increased. Tests of news events appear to reflect performance on traditional tests of episodic memory rather than SM, especially when recent news events are tested.
Related Concept Videos
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Interference and Decay
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
Retrieval
Recall involves accessing information without cues, such as during an essay test, where individuals must retrieve facts and concepts from memory unaided. Another example is remembering the name of a colleague...
Amnesia
The severity and duration of memory loss vary depending on the type and underlying cause. Amnesia is classified into two main types: retrograde and anterograde.
Retrograde amnesia is marked by the loss of memories formed before the onset of the condition. Patients may recall distant past events but often forget those occurring shortly before the incident.
Anterograde...
Long-Term Memory
Long-term memory can be categorized into two primary types: explicit and implicit memory. Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, involves the conscious recollection of information that we deliberately try to remember, recall, and articulate. This type of memory encompasses specific facts, events, and...
Role of Hippocampus in Memory

