Understanding Memory Loss

Understanding Memory Loss

Aging tends to affect remembering, and it is common for cognitive decline to occur as age advances (Robinson-Riegler & Robinson-Riegler, 2022). These are also symptoms that are common among individuals who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Such symptoms tend to progress and might result in insufficient self-care, and in some cases, individuals fail to recall their family members, particularly their partners. Memory loss that results from Alzheimer’s can be observed in the movie “The Notebook.” This film was directed by Nick Cassavetes and released in 2004. The Notebook begins with the scene of the key character, Allie, in her old age, gazing out the window and imagining a young man (Noah) who was rowing a canoe. The movie then shows the audience Allie’s journey of striving to recall Noah and her relationship with him. In the film, Allie and Noah are in love, and during their old age, Noah spends his days reading Allie’s notebook to her. Allie had told him before to read the book to her, and she would return to him. Consequently, Noah reads the notebook daily to trigger Allie’s memory of them.

The film fails to reveal Allie’s illness as Alzheimer’s explicitly, but this can be inferred from various symptoms such as memory loss (both retrograde and anterograde), confusion, disorientation as well as a lack of communication whenever her family members visit her. Retrograde is memory loss, where one loses memories of their past, whereas anterograde is where one cannot form new memories. As the film progresses, Allie’s declarative memory becomes worse. Jahn (2022) claims that among patients with Alzheimer’s, memory loss is among the initial symptoms that are reported, and this is often characterized by the loss of both long-term declarative memory and working memory. Declarative memory is responsible for retaining factual info regarding oneself and the world (Robinson-Riegler & Robinson-Riegler, 2022). Thus far, it can be observed that the film accurately depicts the patients’ memory loss issues

In addition, Allie is observed to fail to remember how she and Noah met and fell in love. This is an example of retrograde amnesia, where one cannot access episodic memories that took place in the past. Episodic memory is said to be highly sensitive to cerebral aging as well as neurodegenerative illnesses (Pause et al., 2018). In Alzheimer’s disease, episodic memory function deficits appear among the first symptoms. Allie also shows symptoms of semantic memory loss, as she cannot recall the names of her children and grandchildren. She also fails to recognize them as her children and grandchildren, a sign of prosopagnosia, which is one’s inability to recognize faces that are familiar to them (Robinson-Riegler & Robinson-Riegler, 2022). In the film, when Allie’s children and grandchildren visit her, she tells them, “Nice to meet you,” believing she is meeting them for the first time (Cassavetes, 2004).

However, it can be noted that despite the impairments in Allie’s declarative memory, her non-declarative memory remains intact. This part of memory supports habit and skill learning and perceptual priming, among other behaviors that can be expressed via performance instead of recollection (Curran, 2017). Procedural memory is under the umbrella of non-declarative memory and is also characterized by “knowing how.” According to Robinson-Riegler and Robinson-Riegler (2022), one can fail to recall their semantic and episodic memories, but they can recall their procedural memory. In this case, Allie can effectively execute this memory as she showcases exquisite piano skills, a skill that she had learned at an early age.

The film also shows another incident where Allie and Noah are dining together, and after dinner, Noah switches on the radio to listen to a song that they both loved and danced to when they were younger. When Noah asks Allie to dance with her, Allie is observed to remember him as the song seems to trigger her memory of him. It also helps her remember that the story that Noah had been reading to her in the notebook was about their love story. However, Allie does not have specific memories of her romantic relations with Noah; she remembers how she felt while dancing with him. The emotions attached to dancing with Noah were very strong and were able to trigger her emotions and memories of being with Noah in the past. This scene shows how powerful emotions can influence and trigger memory encoding and retrieval (Tyng et al., 2017). If the emotion is considered very strong, it can trigger some memories, even in cases where the patient has memory loss resulting from Alzheimer’s disease.

Whereas the movie did a great job showing issues related to memory loss, it has failed to realistically depict other factors such as the time course and prognosis. The film does not tell how, when, and why Allie experienced memory loss. Viewers are left to only speculate from the symptoms that Alzheimer’s disease might have caused the memory loss. Furthermore, the film fails to show when Allie loses her memory. It is clear that the memory loss occurred during her old age, something that is considered normal, but the point at which she lost and the cause of the memory loss is unclear. The impact that this memory loss has on Allie and her family members has not been realistically portrayed. Noah is shown to exercise patience and care for Allie daily. There are no clear signs of frustration from him or the other family members, as Allie shows no recollection of them. Memory loss is also characterized by other symptoms like disorientation and language dysfunction, as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression, feelings of embarrassment and insufficient self-care (Powers et al., 2016). Memory loss can also strain individuals and their families, but in the film, such factors have not been realistically captured.

Conclusion

Generally, the movie is a good film that shows the incident of memory loss. It portrays two key characters, Allie and Noah, who are in love, but Allie’s memory loss changes their relationship. The two are now older; therefore, it can be said that Allie’s memory loss is triggered by old age, but other causes, such as Alzheimer’s disease, might be at play. Whereas the film accurately depicts different types of memory loss, it fails to realistically capture such things as the severe impact that one’s memory loss can have on them and their loved ones. For instance, the strain that this puts on relationships, the anxiety and agitation, as well as poor self-care, have not been well captured. The film would have done a better job if it had shown how Allie’s memory loss affected Noah and their children and how this loss also caused frustration for Allie.

References

Cassavetes, N (Director). (2004). The Notebook [Film]. Gran Via.

Curran, H. V. (2017). Declarative and Nondeclarative Memory. Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology, 1-7.

Jahn, H. (2022). Memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 15(4).

Pause, B. M., Zlomuzica, A., Kinugawa, K., Mariani, J., Pietrowsky, R., & Dere, E. (2018). Perspectives on episodic-like and episodic memory. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 7, 33.

Powers, S. M., Dawson, N. T., Krestar, M. L., Yarry, S. J., & Judge, K. S. (2016). ‘I wish they would remember that I The effects of memory loss on the lives of individuals with mild-to-moderate dementia. Dementia, 15(5), 1053-1067.

Robinson-Riegler, B.,& Robinson-Riegler, G. (2022). Cognitive Psychology: Applying the Science of the Mind (3^rd ed.). Pearson.

Tyng, C. M., Amin, H. U., Saad, M. N., & Malik, A. S. (2017). The influences of emotion on learning and memory. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1454.

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Memory loss is frightening. The purpose of this assignment is to make you think of memory loss realistically. Complete the steps listed below:

Understanding Memory Loss

Watch the video, Living Without a Memory, which links to an external site that provides an overview of memory and discusses actual cases of memory loss.
Select a movie that has featured a character with memory loss. Describe the main features of the impairment exhibited by the movie character.
Engage your critical thinking skills. How accurately is memory loss featured in the selected movie? Specifically, does the memory loss in the movie resemble actual cases? Is appropriate terminology used? Is the prognosis realistic?

Note that statements regarding the accuracy or inaccuracy of the memory loss illustrated in the movie are to be supported by evidence collected by cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists (i.e., experts). Thus, the literature on memory loss should be reviewed, and at least two peer-reviewed articles should be used to answer the questions above. Although your opinion is valuable and always welcome, it needs to be supported by scientific evidence.
Express your thoughts about how the movie could have more realistically depicted memory loss, its cause(s), time course, and prognosis.
Describe the memory loss featured in the selected movie and discuss its accuracy. Remember that accuracy describes symptoms, potential cause(s), prognosis, and actual time course.
Your paper must begin with an introduction to the selected topic in which you define all concepts discussed in the paper. You must also include a conclusion about how the movie could have more realistically depicted memory loss, its causes, time course, and prognosis.