aphantasia and alzheimers

• What is autobiographical memory?

  A memory system consisting of episodes from a person’s life.
• What components make up episodic memory?

  Sensory details, thoughts, emotions, and details relating to time and place.
• What components make up semantic memory?

  General knowledge and personal facts without context.
• What does it mean that our memory is 'reconstructed'?

  It refers to combining different pieces of information to create a recollection of an event.
• What might you remember when reconstructing a memory?

  Features such as who was there, what you were wearing, and what happened.
• What can happen when reconstructing memories?

  You may falsely reconstruct memories if you receive misleading information.
• How does episodic memory contribute to imagined futures?

  It provides the episodic elements used to construct future events.
• How does semantic memory assist in imagined futures?

  It provides a context or framework for organizing episodic future thinking.
• What is Alzheimer's disease?

  A neurodegenerative disorder causing memory decline and deterioration of cognitive skills.
• What are early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease?

  Memory loss, confusion, unusual irritability, and impaired decision making.
• What is the primary risk factor for Alzheimer's disease?

  Age.
• What happens to neurons in the brain due to Alzheimer's disease?

  They gradually become damaged or deteriorate, leading to persistent memory loss.
• Which area of the brain is initially affected by Alzheimer's disease?

  The hippocampus.
• What can result from damage to the hippocampus in Alzheimer's patients?

  Impaired short-term memory and formation of new explicit memories.
• What happens as Alzheimer's disease progresses?

  Neurons in the neocortex are destroyed, leading to loss of existing explicit memories.
• What types of memories are lost due to Alzheimer's disease?

  Semantic memories of facts and episodic memories of significant events.
• What are amyloid plaques?

  Excessive build-up of beta-amyloid proteins that block neural communication.
• What are neurofibrillary tangles?

  Build-up of protein inside neurons that leads to cell death.
• How is Alzheimer's disease diagnosed?

  It can only be officially diagnosed post-mortem through an autopsy.
• What is a lesion?

  An area of tissue that has been damaged due to disease or injury.
• How does Alzheimer's disease affect autobiographical events?

  It impairs the ability to retrieve memories of autobiographical events.
• How does Alzheimer's disease affect imagined futures?

  Patients may struggle to remember components of personally experienced events.
• What is aphantasia?

  A phenomenon where individuals lack the capacity to generate mental imagery.
• How does aphantasia affect individuals when asked to imagine a scene?

  They may think of a list of semantic information instead of seeing an image.
• How does aphantasia impact autobiographical memory and imagined futures?

  It leads to significant difficulty with facial recognition and less vivid memories.