[Memory changes in patients with functional and vascular psychic disorders at a late age].

Mnestic functions were studied in 220 senile patients with neuroses, neurosis-like vascular disorders, endogenous depression, initial vascular psycho-organic syndrome. In senile functional psychic disorders a secondary affect-bound reduction of short-term memory was detected. Dynamic (affect-related) components could be shown as parts of initial vasculogenic psycho-organic syndrome. Relieving these affective disorders and asthenia was conductive to evaluation of the true degree of partially reversible mnestic disorders. Subjective estimates of memory deficit in these patients were inconsistent with actual conditions and correlated with asthenia, affective disorders, somatic state, microsocial environmental impacts. Goal-directed action on these components which are secondary ones in the memory defect structure can promote the treatment efficiency in these patients.