Case 11 - Left-Handed Man with Memory Complaints

Summary

A 69-year old, left-handed man presented at initial consultation with a history of difficulty with short-term recall for 18 months. There were neither obvious behavioral changes nor changes in long-term memory. He also denied any difficulty with lexical retrieval. There was no difficulty in comprehension and no topographic disorientation. He would occasionally feel down, but it seemed to be appropriate to the situation with no sustained depression. On collateral history from his wife, she noted that the cognitive symptoms began about 3 years prior. This was described as gradually progressive memory loss initially having difficulty in recalling recent events, and then subsequently needing written cues or reminders for appointments. An example of this was he could not recall who they had dinner with from several nights prior. Another would be he would tend to forget that they had just eaten recently and could not recall what they ate.