Scientists at the University of Amsterdam have discovered that the drug propranolol, a beta-blocker, prevents the return of unpleasant memories.
Cocaine is one of the many illegal drugs that cause memory loss as time goes on. This drug indirectly causes memory loss and other symptoms as well. While short-term effects can be reversed, some long-term effects of cocaine use can be permanent.
Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated which brain systems play a part in deliberate forgetting, and studies have shown that it is possible for people to deliberately block memories from their consciousness.
While it is not possible to erase memories from your mind, there are strategies that you can use to make a memory less prominent. You can also do things to change the way a memory makes you feel and to replace unpleasant memories with new pleasant ones.
Dissociative amnesia occurs when a person blocks out certain events, often associated with stress or trauma, leaving the person unable to remember important personal information.
Amnesia can result from damage to brain structures that form the limbic system, which controls emotions and memories. They include the thalamus found deep within the center of the brain. They also include the hippocampal formations found within the temporal lobes of the brain.
Drug-induced amnesia is amnesia caused by drugs. Amnesia may be therapeutic for medical treatment or for medical procedures, or it may be a side-effect of a drug, such as alcohol, or certain medications for psychiatric disorders, such as benzodiazepines. It is seen also with slow acting parenteral general anaesthetics.
Diagnostic tests
Your health care provider also may order: Imaging tests — including an MRI and CT scan — to check for brain damage or changes such as shrinkage. Blood tests to check for infection, nutritional deficiencies or other issues. An electroencephalogram (EEG) to check for the presence of seizure activity.
Courts generally hold that amnesia is not a defense to a crime, unless the accused, at the time of the act, did not know the nature or wrongfulness of the act. A defendant's inability to remember the “night in question” is not, by itself, proof of a mental condition, either.
regularly feel numb or blank. feel nervous, low, or stressed a lot of the time, even if you aren't sure why. have a tendency to forget things. experience unease or discomfort when other people tell you about their feelings.
One part of the body affected by anxiety and stress is the nervous system, which plays a primary role in basic functions like memory and learning. As a result, persistent anxiety and memory loss are associated.
Stress and anxiety can also lead to poor memory. Depression is associated with short-term memory loss. It doesn't affect other types of memory, such as long-term memory and procedural memory, which controls motor skills.
The study found that taking antihistamines and antimuscarinics increased risk for developing this specific type of dementia. However, the risk was not as high for antihistamines than for other anticholinergics, such as antidepressants.
According to the University of Regina research, popular SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) antidepressant medications, such as Prozac, Paxil, Lexapro, Zoloft, etc., are associated with a twofold increase in the odds of developing some form of cognitive impairment, such as dementia, including Alzheimer's.
Central Nervous System (CNS) depressants are medicines that include sedatives, tranquilizers, and hypnotics. These drugs can slow brain activity, making them useful for treating anxiety, panic, acute stress reactions, and sleep disorders.
Xanax and other benzodiazepines also affect mental processing speed, attention, memory, and physical activity. In particular, benzodiazepines can cause loss of memory (amnesia) of events that occur while the medication is in your system.