Accelerated Long-Term Forgetting: Prolonged Delayed Recognition as Sensitive Measurement for Different Profiles of Long-Term Memory and Metacognitive Confidence in Stroke Patients

J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2022 Apr;28(4):327-336. doi: 10.1017/S1355617721000527. Epub 2021 May 6.

Abstract

Objective: Deficits in episodic memory are frequently reported after ischemic stroke. In standard clinical care, episodic memory is assessed after a 20-30 min delay, with abnormal memory decay over this period being characterized as rapid forgetting (RF). Previous studies have shown abnormal forgetting over a prolonged interval (days to weeks) despite normal acquisition, referred to as accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF).

Method: We examined whether ALF is present in stroke patients (N = 91) using immediate testing (T1), testing after a short delay (20-30 min, T2), and testing after a prolonged delay (one week, T3). Based on performance compared to matched controls (N = 85), patients were divided into (1) patients without forgetting, (2) patients with RF between T1 and T2, and (3) patients with ALF at T3. Furthermore, confidence ratings were assessed.

Results: ALF was present in a moderate amount of stroke patients (17%), but ALF was even more prevalent in our stroke sample than RF after a 20-30 min delay (which was found in only 13% of our patients). Patients reported a lower confidence for their responses, independent of their actual performance.

Conclusions: Adding a one-week delayed measurement may potentially assist in identifying patients with memory decrements that may otherwise go undetected.

Keywords: Brain Ischemia; Episodic; Humans; Memory; Memory Disorders; Mental Processes; Stroke.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Memory Disorders / diagnosis
  • Memory Disorders / etiology
  • Memory Disorders / psychology
  • Memory, Long-Term
  • Mental Recall* / physiology
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Stroke* / complications