The Alzheimer's Machine
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease in adulthood and the most common disease that affects the episodic memory system. Episodic memory is defined as our personal, conscious, explicit recollection of experienced events as framed in our own, declarative context. The hippocampal circuit, part of the limbic system located within the medial temporal lobes, is considered to be a key brain structure involved in the formation of episodic memories. During the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, the hippocampus and other medial temporal lobe structures are damaged first and to a greater extent than other brain areas, causing the development of an amnestic disorder.
Over thirty years ago, it was observed that acute alcohol exposure within humans produces a series of memory impairments which [for the period of intoxication] emulate the impairments caused by hippocampal damage present in sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease (Ryeback [1970], Goodwin et al. [1969a]). Specifically, this refers to Ribot’s Law, whereby the ability to form new memories is most impaired (anterograde amnesia), recently learned information cannot be retrieved past between 2 – 5 minutes [providing the individual is not distracted, in which case this period is far shorter] (retrograde amnesia) and remote memories are spared. Individuals furthermore suffer from distortions of memory that can impair their ability to live independently in addition to their failure to learn and retrieve information.
Over thirty years ago, it was observed that acute alcohol exposure within humans produces a series of memory impairments which [for the period of intoxication] emulate the impairments caused by hippocampal damage present in sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease (Ryeback [1970], Goodwin et al. [1969a]). Specifically, this refers to Ribot’s Law, whereby the ability to form new memories is most impaired (anterograde amnesia), recently learned information cannot be retrieved past between 2 – 5 minutes [providing the individual is not distracted, in which case this period is far shorter] (retrograde amnesia) and remote memories are spared. Individuals furthermore suffer from distortions of memory that can impair their ability to live independently in addition to their failure to learn and retrieve information.
