Memory After Stroke: Impact on Recent and Long-Term Recall

[EugP]

If you get a stroke, what effect does it have on your memory? In other words, do you forget, for example, people you met most recently, or as far back in the past as possible?

Does anyone know?

 

[brewnog]

A stroke is just the effect of part of the brain losing its blood supply, caused by either a clot or a bleed.

A stroke can have various mid to long term effects, including any of the following: weakness or paralysis (usually on one side of the body), loss of balance or ability to swallow, extreme fatigue, difficulty sleeping, incontinence, mood swings, altered sensation, eyesight or speech problems, difficulty understanding and processing information, and of course memory.

There are no rules as to what parts of the memory are affected by such an event, but short-term memory is more commonly lost. It would depend which part of the brain is affected.

 

[Astronuc]

If you get a stroke, what effect does it have on your memory? In other words, do you forget, for example, people you met most recently, or as far back in the past as possible?

As brewnog indicated, it depends on what part of the brain is affected. But yes, it is possible for people to lose memories (of people and places), or lose the languange function such that they recognize people or places, but have not association. It is complicated.

My father had a transient (trans) ischemic attack (TIA) event 20 years ago. He was partially paralyzed and had slurred speech for about 24 hrs. However, he fully recovered as far as we know.

Transient ischemic attack - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000730.htm

Stroke - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000726.htm