Human memory can be split into familiarity and recollection processes which
contribute to different aspects of memory function. These separate processes result in
different experiential states. In this review, we examine how this dominant theoretical
framework can explain the subjective experience of people with Alzheimer’s disease,
the profile of their memory impairments and their inability to reflect on their
performance metacognitively. We conclude with a brief overview of the brain regions
supporting conscious experience of memory, and propose that the memory and
awareness deficits seen in Alzheimer’s disease could be primarily conceived of as a
deficit in autonoetic consciousness. We briefly introduce how these these robust
constructs are being incorporated into research programmes examining rehabilitation
and pharmacological intervention.
Keywords: Awareness, familiarity, metacognition, recollection.
