Semantic memory represents our knowledge of the world; it is our knowledge of ‘facts’ about people, ourselves and the world. Semantic memory is the knowledge we have gained, and is fixed e.g. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, Saltire is the Scottish flag, midgies are annoying insects, the highlands are full of sheep and cows (!), the universe is huge, she is my mother. Following brain injury, semantic memory may be impaired. The person may struggle to lay down new factual information/concepts about their world (anterograde amnesia) or may be unable to recall semantic information acquired prior to their injury (retrograde amnesia).
