Good question… Usually what we see on TV is completely false. Just watch any soap opera at any time, and you are bound to find 3 or 4 people who have had amnesia and can’t remember who they are.

In reality, there are many different types of amnesia. Some affect the short term memory (like what you had for breakfast this morning) but leave the long term memory (who you are and how to talk). Some types are the exact opposite.

It is a real disorder and can be brought about by many different things, traumatic events, head injuries, etc.

Check here for more information if you would like…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesia

Hope this helps! 🙂

Amnesia can cause memory loss, and still the victims remember how to talk. Under you theory, memories lost would leave you incapable of walking, talking, and just about everything but involuntary actions. ie breathing etc. If you go under a general anesthetic the first thing they do when you awake is ask if you know where you are.

The memories you are talking about are of the type like, who am I, where do I live, and who are you. That is not like the speech centers of the brain, which can be affected by say a stroke. The aphasia caused by a stoke, make the patient think he/she can talk normally, but what comes out is impossible to understand. So, to wrap up, people can lose their memories and still function. Memory sprays do not exist, so it is like find an inconsistency in Harry Potter. Its not real. Now where did I put my watch?

Speech and memory are located in two different parts of the brain. It would really depend on the amount of brain trauma as to what extent of memory loss and/or speech loss.

I had a friend that had an vein burst in his brain, he lost almost all speech abilities, but could still remember how to curse. He was still a great machinist, and could understand every word you said, but couldn’t make a complete sentence unless it was G-D, I don’t Know, or something along that line.

the reason why people who have amnesia dont forget how to speak is because the two are actually located on different parts of the brain. the act of speaking is actually located in Broca’s area which is located in the frontal lobe of the brain. as for loss of memory, it could be due to a blunt force trauma to the head or other physical ailing events. another main cause could be the damage to the limbic system, particularly the hypothalamus which processes memory. however, it does not mean that damage to the hypothalamus causes a person to forget ALL their memories because through studies, it has been shown that memory storage is not just located in one area of the brain.

There are different types of memory loss. Some people have functional memory, so they can talk, brush their teeth, etc. but they can’t remember who they are or what they did an hour ago. Depends what part of the brain is affected.

Memory is in one part of one’s brain; and speech in another. Amnesia is when the part that controls memory malfunctions. I’m no brain expert, but it depends how bad the amnesia is. So I believe that it’s very possible to lose memory of speech with bad amnesia.

And I don’t think theres such thing as memory loss spray!

No, because it only affects memory. However, I do have to agree with you that TV greatly exaggerates the effects of amnesia, making it appear more like dementia.

memory and speech are in different areas in the brain, that’s why you can forget who you are and still function

i dont think thats true i think you only lose memory of people and events but talking, walking and stuff like that I don’t think you can forget that

wouldn’t remember lines either…..RIGHT!