Diagnostik Von Gedächtnisstörungen

Disorders of memory and attention are non-specific cardinal symptoms in the majority of diseases of the CNS. In many cases they are the first or only signs of an organic brain dysfunction. Memory impairment can result in significant impairments of the activities of daily living. Memory assessment helps to draw a differentiated picture of cognitive deficits with the objective of supporting diagnosis and therapy. Against the background of a Strong demand for efficiency, the clinician is asked to continue to make evidence-based and clinically relevant statements. In the first part of this paper, it will be shown that this aim can be achieved by rational planning of the examination and the selection of memory tests. This requires knowledge of the key concepts of human memory as well as a weighing of the strengths and weaknesses of the assessment instruments in respect to the clinical question. For the test selection it is also necessary to know pathology-related cognitive Profiles. These are introduced in the second part of the paper.