Training and instructions in the use of mental imagery can lead to imp
roved retention in patients with memory impairment as the result of br
ain injury or disease. The amount of improvement varies inversely with
the severity of memory impairment, but is largely unrelated to either
the aetiology or the locus of brain damage. It also appears to depend
on the patients' motivation rather than their intelligence, education
or imagery ability. However, brain-damaged patients may need explicit
prompting if they are to use imagery mnemonics successfully and often
fail to maintain their use on similar learning materials or to genera
lise their use to new learning situations. As a result, imagery mnemon
ics will typically be of little practical value in enabling memory-imp
aired individuals to respond to the cognitive challenges of everyday l
ife.