Understanding memory dynamics in stroke patients: Learning and forgetting patterns based on verbal recall

Memory deficits are common post stroke. Most episodic memory tests consist of a learning phase, immediate recall and a 30‐min delayed recall test. Recent research suggests a proportion of stroke patients exhibit accelerated long‐term forgetting after a longer delay. Based on a word‐list learning test in stroke patients and controls, we demonstrate that stroke patients recalled fewer words after five learning trials, and on 30‐min and 1‐week delayed recall tests, caused by shallower learning curves and higher percentages of forgetting.