Anosognosia for memory disorder in people with acquired braininjury: a multidimensional investigation.
Year: 2009
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Anosognosia is a neuropsychological description of unawareness or denial of\nimpairment. Anosognosia for memory disorder (AMD) is a common, though poorly\nunderstood, sequelae of acquired brain injury (ABI). Many theories have sought to\ncharacterise the neurological, cognitive and motivational bases of anosognosia for\nhemiplegia, though there are few theories specific to AMD. The studies have largely\nfailed to identify consistent neuroanatomical correlates or types of dysfunction. This\nhas led to the conclusion that anosognosia is a complex multidimensional clinical\nphenomenon that requires subtle elaboration.\nPart of the conceptual difficulty has been a function of the relative primitiveness of\nmodels of awareness and the tendency for different indices of anosognosia to\nmeasure different characteristics of the disorder in an unsystematic way. Recent\ncandidate models of anosognosia have distinguished between deficits in metacognitive\nknowledge of memory disorder and deficits in online awareness (emergent and\nanticipatory) of amnesia-related errors. We examined 14 patients with ABI and 15\nhealthy controls using a multidimensional approach that included a structured interview\nto assess the metacognitive knowledge aspects of anosognosia and several\nexperimental measures to assess the different aspects of impaired online awareness.\nResults indicated that different patients could be classified as anosognosic according\nto which measure was used and that patients could be located on a spectrum of\nanosognosia which varied along axes of partiality and specifity. The results suggest\nthat despite anosognosia, patients can improve their awareness across learning trials\nthough further research is required to substantiate this. It is hoped that studies such as\nthis, which strive for a developmental reciprocity between theory and service-based\npractice, may contribute to a more pragmatic understanding of AMD in patients with\nABI.
Author: Andrew Mitchell
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1485568409