Spared retrograde memory with anterograde amnesia and widespread cognitive deficits.

A case is described of a young male who suffered head injuries in a motor accident and subsequently displayed a severe anterograde amnesia in the presence of a relatively intact retrograde memory. He also demonstrated marked impairment of general intellectual ability, naming, perceptual skills and executive functioning. This case demonstrates a striking dissociation between anterograde and retrograde memory. Moreover the retention of retrograde memory in the face of such severe and global cognitive impairment accentuates the dissociation or isolability of retrograde memory. It is further argued that while frontal impairment occurred in this case it lacks any of the hallmarks of frontal amnesia. The case is further evidence for the fractionation of amnesic syndromes.