Anterograde amnesia is defined as?

Anterograde amnesia specifically refers to the condition where a person is unable to form new memories following the onset of the amnesia. This typically occurs after some form of brain injury or trauma that affects the hippocampus, which is vital for the formation of new long-term memories. As a result, while individuals may retain memories from their past prior to the amnesia and be able to recall them, they struggle to encode new information into memory.

The definition aligns with option C, highlighting the inability to encode new memories. This condition is marked by the patient’s experience of living in the present and being unable to remember recent events or conversations, effectively creating a gap in their memory for anything that occurred after the onset of the amnesia. The existence of intact historical memories prior to the condition distinguishes it from other types of amnesias, making option C the accurate choice.