1. Retrograde and Anterograde
Amnesia
Retrograde and Anterograde

2. The Loss of Explicit Memories
One of the strongest pieces of evidence to support the fact that memories are stored in different parts of the brain is the loss of explicit memory, or “amnesia.” Because this state involves primarily episodic memories (procedural and often semantic memories do not seem to be subject to this type of destruction), many psychologists have concluded that different types of memories are stored in different systems.

3. What is amnesia?
The term amnesia refers to the blocking of older memories and/or the loss of new ones.
Amnesia usually occurs as a result of a blow to the head, brain injuries (accidents, encephalitis), disease processes (strokes), a major trauma, or an electric shock.
The term “blocked” refers to the fact that, in many cases, most of the lost material will return after a certain period of time.
There are two major types of amnesia:
Retrograde – past
Anterograde – future

4. Figure 7.24: Retrograde versus anterograde amnesia.
In retrograde amnesia, memory for events that occurred prior to the onset of amnesia is lost. In anterograde amnesia, memory for events that occur subsequent to the onset of amnesia suffers.
Figure 7.24: Retrograde versus anterograde amnesia.
In retrograde amnesia, memory for events that occurred prior to the onset of amnesia is lost. In anterograde amnesia, memory for events that occur subsequent to the onset of amnesia suffers.

5. Retrograde – Forgetting Prior Events
Retrograde amnesia is the loss of memories that were already stored (past events).
In these cases, the period of memory loss may be very brief. In the case of minor head injuries causing a brief period of unconsciousness, memory loss may last only minutes or hours. This type of amnesia is similar to losing unsaved data when the power fails on your computer.
NOTE: It is very rare that a person will forget who she/he is entirely. The subject may lose certain memories, be unable to recognize family members and friends, and/or forget certain parts of life; but the core sense of who they are will not be lost. Most often, this type of memory loss only erases certain portions of life vs. the entire life span.

6. Examples of Retrograde Amnesia – Runaway Groom Sean McNulty
Three days after Sean McNulty married his wife, Amy Harrison, he couldn't remember anything from his life. Sean and Amy were leaving for their honeymoon when he vanished from the airport. After days of searching, Sean was discovered by police wandering aimlessly near an abandoned hotel. But his disappearance was only the beginning of a baffling journey. He had forgotten everything from his past, including his marriage to Amy. Diagnosed with a severe case of amnesia, Sean had to get to know Amy all over again.
Read his story here:

7. Retrograde Amnesia in the Movies
The Bourne Identity
Bourne is a CIA assassin who suffers amnesia and loss of identity while on a mission, and comes to suspect that he may be a terrorist.  The plot unfolds as Bourne tries to figure out who he is.  The puzzle is intensified when Bourne discovers that he possesses all sorts of interesting skills.  
Dead Again
An L.A. detective is perplexed when he is hired to help a beautiful amnesia victim who is tormented by nightmares, which may lie in a past-life connection to a pianist murdered by her husband.
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Geena Davis plays a suburban schoolteacher who suffers an amnesia covering all but the past eight years.  After a car accident, and with the help of a private detective (Samuel L. Jackson), she gradually realizes that she's a CIA agent with an assassin on her trail. 
Regarding Henry
Henry accidentally interrupts a burglary and is shot in the head by a stick-up artist. After a long coma, Henry survives only to find that he has no memory and must re-learn everything from reading to tying his shoes.

8. Anterograde Amnesia – No Future Memories
Anterograde amnesia is the inability to form new memories
Most old memories will remain completely intact; however, the subject will be unable to create/encode new memories that happened after the accident or experience that resulted in the amnesia.

9. Examples of Anterograde Amnesia – H.M.
One of the most famous patients with this type of amnesia is known as H.M. He had epileptic seizures which, at the time (1953), were untreatable with standard drug therapies. As a last resort, doctors removed both of his temporal lobes and his hippocampus.
After the surgery, he seemed normal enough in everyday interactions. He retained some memories from his youth, before the onset of his seizures, but could remember nothing that occurred after his operation. If asked for his current address, he would give the one he had at the time of the operation. He had to be reminded that his mother had passed away.
He did, however, demonstrate the ability to form new procedural memories. He even was able to form a select few new semantic memories (vaguely remembering JFK’s assassination). He could be taught new skills, but generally he could not form new episodic or semantic memories.
Hear H.M. being interviewed in the 1990’s on NPR:
This portrait of Henry Gustav Molaison, or H.M., was taken shortly before he underwent the experimental surgery in 1953 that would destroy his ability to form long-term memories. No
New Memories
Memory Intact
Surgery

10. Implicit Memory HM is unable to make new memories that are
declarative (explicit), but he can form new
memories that are procedural (implicit). C B A
HM learned the Tower of Hanoi (game) after his surgery. Each time he plays it, he is unable to remember the fact that he has already played the game.

11. H.M.’s Brain
During Molaison’s life, he and his guardian agreed that his brain should be donated to science upon his death. So his brain was frozen, and beginning December 2, 2009 they began cutting it into about 2,600 very thin slices (think deli meat). By the way, the Brain Observatory streamed it live on the internet! (
Also:
Each slice will be photographed, and many will be studied microscopically to determine exactly which parts of Molaison’s brain were damaged in that long-ago operation.
Read more about H.M. here:

12. Examples of Anterograde Amnesia – Clive Wearing
Anterograde Amnesia resulted from sudden viral encephalitis
Video #10 and #11
8:31 AM: Now I am really, completely awake. 9:06 AM: Now I am perfectly, overwhelmingly awake. 9:34 AM: Now I am superlatively, actually awake.

13. Examples of Anterograde Amnesia – E.P.
Viral infection destroyed his hippocampus

14. Examples of Anterograde Amnesia – Lucy and Ten Second Tom from 50 First Dates
Movie Trailer –
10 second Tom clip –

15. Examples of Anterograde Amnesia – Mr. Short-Term Memory Loss

16. Examples of Anterograde Amnesia – Dory from Finding Nemo
Watch at home:

17. Examples of Anterograde Amnesia – Leonard in Memento
Watch trailer at home:
Leonard’s strategies
Sammy Jankis clip: