It is vital to differentiate memory impairments in clinical cases as they take two different forms, causing different abnormalities. An immediate and discrete memory failure that may result from an accident that resulted in head injuries is one of the ways that could lead to memory impairments. In addition, medical or psychiatric illness may also lead to the deterioration of memory, which worsens over time. In a traumatic brain injury, an individual may have contusions, dislocation, and raptured brain tissues due to unexpected accidents. These injuries primarily affect short-term memory more than long-term memory, which are parts that handle remembering and learning. The individual may show different changes in thought and behavior patterns after the accidents.
On the other hand, memory deterioration due to neurocognitive disorder consists of the gradual decay of brain tissues and neurons. An individual suffering from brain deterioration starts to experience several abnormal behaviors and cognitive decline. Therefore, memory impairments due to neurocognitive disorders are different from a traumatic brain injuries caused by unexpected accidents. For example, cognitive deterioration is caused due damage caused to any part of the brain. In contrast, memory impairment is associated with specific traumatic injury of the brain, such as the frontal brain or hippocampus. In summary, it can be concluded that memory impairments caused by traumatic brain injuries are different from memory deterioration caused by a neurocognitive disorder. It is essential to differentiate the two types of impairments since they also lead to two different psychopathologies.
