Why does Alzheimer's disease often first show as asking the same question again? · Grey Matter

The disease attacks the entorhinal cortex and the hippocampus early, the gateway through which new experiences become episodic memories.

Why does Alzheimer's disease often first show as asking the same question again?

The disease attacks the entorhinal cortex and the hippocampus early, the gateway through which new experiences become episodic memories. A person can still hold the answer in working memory for a few seconds and understand it perfectly, but it is not stored, so a few minutes later the question feels new and is asked again. Older memories and well-practised knowledge, already held by the cortex, last longer, which is why the early picture resembles a mild anterograde amnesia.