Abstract
The present study focused on interference in a group of patients with amnesia due to Korsakoff’s syndrome (KS) within the domain of spatial memory. An object–location memory task was used in which participants first learned an array of objects on a computer screen, followed by a reconstruction of the object positions. Next a trial was given in which the same objects were presented only now in different locations. Participants had to place the objects a second time but at the new locations. This was repeated for seven pairs of baseline/interference trials. Both Korsakoff patients and matched controls did worse on the interference trials than on the baseline trials, indicating that it is difficult to relearn new spatial locations for objects that previously were remembered in other locations. When computing relative interference effects (that is the percentage change from baseline in the interference trials), Korsakoff patients were less affected than controls. It is discussed in how far interference depends on the strength of the original memories, which are markedly lower in KS patients.
Highlights
Interference has long been identified as one the prime rea‐ sons for memory failure (McGeoch 1932; see Oberauer and Lin 2017, for its role in visual working memory)
Best-fit scores were worse in the interference than in the baseline trials and worse in the Korsakoff’s syn‐ drome (KS) patients than in the controls
Memory for spatial context information is compromised in KS patients (Kessels et al 2000; Postma et al 2006, 2008b; Shoqeirat and Mayes 1991)
Summary
Interference has long been identified as one the prime rea‐ sons for memory failure (McGeoch 1932; see Oberauer and Lin 2017, for its role in visual working memory). Compe‐ tition between items in memory may cause sincere prob‐ lems in learning, storage and/ or retrieval. The possibility that amnestic patients suffer in particular from interference effects has received considerable attention We further investigated interference in a group of patients with amnesia due to Korsakoff’s syn‐ drome (KS) within the domain of spatial memory. KS is a chronic disorder, characterized by severe cognitive dys‐ function, caused by lesions in the diencephalon, notably the thalamus and mammillary bodies, due to chronic alcohol abuse and thiamine deficiency (Arts et al 2017; Fama et al 2012). Most pronounced are the memory deficits, including both anterograde and retrograde amnesia (Kopelman 1995). The amnesia involves explicit memory whereas implicit memory appears relatively spared (Oudman et al 2011, 2015; Postma et al 2008b)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
