Abstract
In this study, we investigated fifteen patients with a variety of organic brain diseases, exhibiting confabulations. The relation of confabulation measured by structured inquiry battery to error contents of semantically related paired association learning test (PAL) was statistically examined. Results was as follows : the performance of the PAL correlated with incidence of correct answers but not that of confabulations in the inquiry battery ; confabulations elicited by questions concerning remote memory was correlated with extralist perseverations semantically unrelated to the target in the PAL ; factor analysis revealed a postitive relationship between factor 2 (confabulations to the recent memory, heightened suggestibility, and comprehension of one's immediate surroundings) and amnestic syndrome without dementia. This supported the view that there were two types of confabulations. We proposed that the one was a traditional embarrassment confabulation, preferentially elicited by questions concerning recent memory and that the other was closely correlated with a loosening of semantical framework just as observed in SDAT. Not only retrieval of recent memory but also that of remote memory elicited confabulatory response in the latter type.
