R. Fama et al., Extent, pattern, and correlates of remote memory impairment in Alzheimer'sdisease and Parkinson's disease, NEUROPSYCHL, 14(2), 2000, pp. 265-276
Content and contextual memory for remote public figures and events was asse
ssed with a modified version of the Presidents Test in patients with Alzhei
mer's disease (AD) or Parkinson's disease (PD). Contributions of executive
functioning, semantic memory, and explicit anterograde memory to remote mem
ory abilities were also examined. The AD group had temporally extensive def
icits in content and contextual remote memory not accountable for by dement
ia severity. The PD group did not differ from the control group in remote m
emory, despite anterograde memory impairment. These results support the pos
ition that different component processes characterize remote memory, variou
s mnemonic and nonmnemonic cognitive processes contribute to remote memory
performance, and anterograde and remote memory processes are dissociable an
d differentially disrupted by neurodegenerative disease.