The Effects of Retrograde Amnesia on Memory Consolidation: A Review

The Effects of Retrograde Amnesia on Memory Consolidation: A Review synthesizes recent findings on how retrograde amnesia—the loss of memories acquired before an event—disrupts the stabilization of long-term memories. Drawing on literature from the past decade across neuroscience and clinical psychology, the review summarizes (1) hippocampal and systems-level mechanisms (plasticity, synaptic consolidation, circuit changes), (2) psychological contributors such as stress and trauma, including glucocorticoid effects on consolidation, and (3) therapeutic approaches spanning cognitive rehabilitation and pharmacological strategies (e.g., cholinesterase inhibitors, NMDA-targeting agents, selected nootropics). The paper also identifies gaps—especially the need for longitudinal trajectories and gene–environment interaction work—and outlines implications for individualized, multimodal care.This is a non-peer-reviewed research review intended to make current evidence accessible to students and clinicians and to support future study design.