Retrograde amnesia is the loss of memory from the past, due to some type of trauma in the brain. This damage would be found in areas other than the hippocampus, because this part of the brain is involved in encoding new memories. The severity of this amnesia is dependent on the severity of the damage in the brain. This damage can be due to a traumatic brain injury, illness, seizure, stroke or degenerative brain disease. Although there is a loss in previous memory, the person still has the ability to create new memories. Also, retrograde amnesia can be temporary, permanent or progressive. This means that over time, the amnesia could fade out, stay the same, or get worse. The memory loss involves forgetting facts rather than skills. These memories are called explicit memories. Explicit memories are memories that are declarative, because you can consciously recall and explain the information. These lost explicit memories are usually episodic. These explicit memories requires a conscious effort to retrieve, so people with retrograde amnesia cannot access certain parts of this memory. Implicit memories can be procedural, meaning they are memories that are not consciously recalled and are produced indirectly. An example would be how to tie a shoe. These memories are not impacted in retrograde amnesia.
After my second concussion in soccer, I experienced retrograde amnesia. This concussion was more severe than my previous one, and all I remember is falling to the ground. I cannot remember two weeks prior to the incident, although sometimes I remember bits and pieces of the information since the injury. These episodic memories from two weeks prior seem to be permanently lost. Because of this amnesia, it predicted that my recovery would be slower. Although I can remember episodic memories from my past, I have a two-week gap in my memory. The only information I have on those two weeks is what my parents and friends have told me. Although, I can still remember implicit memories like tying my shoes and riding a bike because these memories processed in the cerebellum are not effected by this type of amnesia.
https://www.healthline.com/health/retrograde-amnesia
https://www.verywellmind.com/implicit-and-explicit-memory-2795346
Before reading this post, I was not completely aware of what retrograde amnesia was or how it was caused. I had no idea that it could be caused by a sports-related injury such as a concussion. I have played sports for nearly my whole life and did not know something like this could happen; especially losing two weeks’ worth of memories. Overall, I found the post to be very informative and well constructed in terms of describing your experience with this particular amnesia.