Confabulaciones (I): Concepto, clasificación y neuropatología

Abstract

A working definition of confabulation could be that of describing them as false memories due to a retrieval problem, where the patient is unaware that he/ she is confabulating, and has the belief that the memory is true. Several types of confabulations have been described, according to a broad variety of criteria. Confabulations can be seen in very different neurological conditions, which have lead to a controversy on their pathophysiological mechanisms. Objective: To obtain an updated revision in Spanish of the definitions, types, brain regions involved and neuropsychological correlates of the confabulations.

Una definición operativa de confabulaciones sería aquella que los describe como falsos recuerdos resultado de un problema de recuperación, de los que el paciente no es cons- ciente, y cuya creencia en la veracidad del recuerdo es genuina. Han sido descritos varios tipos de confabulaciones, utilizando una gran diversidad de criterios. Las confabulaciones pueden llegar a verse en trastornos neurológicos muy distintos, existiendo con- troversia en torno a sus mecanismos patofisiológicos.