Confabulation often points to an underlying issue with a person's memory—for example, a neuropsychiatric condition, brain injury, or substance use disorder. 2 There are several common characteristics of confabulation, including: A lack of awareness that a memory is false or distorted.

Why do dementia patients Confabulate?

Many dementia patients rely on confabulation to fill gaps in their memories, especially when compensating for memory loss in the early stages of the disease.

What triggers confabulation?

Confabulation is caused by brain damage or poor brain function, but researchers are unsure which parts of the brain are at fault. The frontal lobe or the basal forebrain may be involved. Confabulation occurs with several brain disorders. These are some of the most common.