Dysnomia is a mild form of memory disorder where people have trouble remembering words and names. It can be caused by congenital conditions, learning disabilities, traumatic brain injury, degenerative neurological diseases, or medical problems. Treatment options depend on the cause.
Dysnomia is a type of memory disorder in which people sometimes have trouble remembering words and names. It’s a form of nominal aphasia, a term used to refer to conditions in which people can’t remember specific words, but it’s a mild form. Unlike anomia, in which people cannot remember certain types of words at all, patients may have intermittent memory problems and may have no problems with recall in some situations. Treatment options are available and depend on why the patient has memory problems.
One potential cause is a congenital condition. Some learning disabilities can occur with dysnomia. Patients with traumatic brain injury such as strokes and head injuries may have memory problems, which often resolve on their own after a period of time. It’s also possible to start losing the ability to name objects and people reliably due to a degenerative neurological disease, in which case the problem will likely get worse over time.
This can also be a symptom of a medical problem. Intoxication, hypoglycemia, dehydration, and drug overdose, among other things, can cause memory problems. Evaluation for many common medical problems known to involve the brain may include a quick neurological exam to see if patients have symptoms such as dysnomia, difficulty remembering things, or problems with simple concepts and tasks, such as walking in a straight line.
Patients know the words, but are unable to retrieve them. Many people have a “tip of the tongue” feeling at some point in their lives, where they are momentarily blank on the word they want to use. This is not necessarily a sign of a disorder. In dysnomia, the inability to remember words becomes a hindrance in daily activities, making it difficult for people to communicate and perform tasks. People may notice that the frequency varies depending on stress levels, fatigue, and other factors. These can be important diagnostic clues and can also help patients develop appropriate coping mechanisms.
If dysnomia is a symptom of another problem, treating the problem should resolve the memory issues. When it’s part of a primary presentation of the disease, it may not be possible to treat it, depending on the condition. For people with degenerative brain diseases, for example, some therapeutic activities may help with recall and memory formation, but ultimately the patient will experience an increasing decline in brain function. For learning disabilities, therapies are available to help children develop coping skills to manage dysnomia, but the underlying problem will persist.
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