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Abe Lincoln has experienced a traumatic brain injury. Subsequent to the injury, he is unable to form new memories. He can recall events from the distant past, but if he meets a person and has a conversation, then that person leaves the room and returns, he will not recall that they spoke a few moments earlier. Abraham has:

a) Anterograde amnesia
b) Retrograde amnesia
c) Alzheimer's disease
d) Bipolar disorder

User Enryu
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Final answer:

Abraham is experiencing anterograde amnesia option a is correct, a condition where new memories cannot be formed following a traumatic brain injury. This is due to damage to the hippocampus, with patient H.M. being a renowned case that provides insight into memory consolidation processes.

Step-by-step explanation:

Abraham, who has had a traumatic brain injury and is now unable to form new memories while still being capable of recalling past events, is experiencing anterograde amnesia.

This condition is often caused by damage to the hippocampus, which affects the ability to transfer information from short-term to long-term memory.

Notably, this does not influence procedural memory, meaning individuals with anterograde amnesia can still learn new skills even if they do not have a conscious recollection of learning them.

One of the most famous cases of anterograde amnesia was patient H.M., who could not remember new faces or events after having his hippocampus and amygdala removed to control seizures.

However, he could still improve at tasks like solving puzzles through relearning, despite not recalling having done them before. This sheds light on the significant role the hippocampus plays in episodic memory and the consolidation of new learning into explicit memory.

User Ruffin
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