A soap opera character who had a major head trauma cannot remember any post-injury people or events, but his memory for people and events prior to his injury is perfect. Is this fictional tale possible in the real world?
A) No; there is no evidence of amnesia involving new events.
B) Yes; amnesia involving new events is called retrograde amnesia.
C) No; the condition described on the soap opera is not really amnesia.
D) Yes; amnesia involving new events is called anterograde amnesia.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Anterograde amnesia is the loss of the ability to create new memories after the event that caused the amnesia, while old memories can be relatively intact. This fits the description of the soap opera character's condition. Retrograde amnesia is the loss of access to memories formed before an event, while memories formed after the event are relatively intact. The other options are incorrect; there is evidence of amnesia involving new events, the condition described on the soap opera is a type of amnesia, and so on.

A Soap Opera Character Who Had a Major Head Trauma