Amnesia
What is it like to live with amnesia? Science has learned a lot from dissociation studies of patients with memory loss due to brain damage. These studies have revealed that different areas of the brain are responsible for processing and storing different types of memories. For instance, the hippocampus is now known to be “crucial for the formation of LTMs” (Goldstein, 2012, p155). Damage to this area of the brain creates an existence in which a person experiences each moment as if for the first time. They are trapped in STM. And as we have learned, STM has a very short duration of only about 10-15 seconds (Goldstein, 2012, p85). Clive Wearing and H.M. give us a glimpse into living without the ability to form new long-term memories.
In a BBC documentary about Clive Wearing, he is said to have had the worst case of amnesia ever known. Clive describes his condition as waking up for the first time. In his own words, he says it’s like death, he’s never had a thought or dream before. The brain has been totally inactive. He also says he has never seen a human being before. But interestingly he does remember one person, his wife. His reaction to her is heart-warming. Every time he sees her he greets her with hugs and kisses and tremendous joy.
Clive Wearing: The man with No Short Term Memory:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwigmktix2Y
“The case of H.M. clearly demonstrated that it is possible to lose the ability to form new LTMs while still retaining STM” (Goldstein, 2011, p155). H.M lived for 55 years without forming any new LTMs yet his STM remained intact. Upon reading this in our text, I couldn’t help but wonder what his life was like. In an interview, one of his caretakers says that H.M. enjoyed some of the same things we do, such as going to the beach. However, he also enjoyed something that many of us, with intact but somewhat cluttered minds, fail to fully enjoy. “He very much enjoyed the person that was in front of him.”
Patient HM:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=H.M.%20amnesia&sm=3
The contributions that both Clive Wearing and H.M have made to the fields of neuroscience and cognitive psychology are immeasurable. Life was undoubtedly difficult for these men but each experienced moments of joy. The source of their joy is another legacy they have left for us. I see their stories as a lesson in the beauty in being fully present in the present.
References:
Goldstein (2008). Cognitive Psychology (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Websites:
YouTube.com
Patient HM:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=H.M.%20amnesia&sm=3
Clive Wearing: The man with No Short Term Memory: