Although “AJ” is not autistic, McGaugh and colleagues note that she shares some of the executive-functioning deficits that occur with autism. Inhibition in itself is a type of executive functioning, thought to be associated with the right inferior frontal cortex. Because she is unable to “turn off” her retrieval mode, the smallest associations may bring on detailed recollections of “AJ”’s past. Her sensitivity to cues that trigger her memories suggest that “AJ” has trouble inhibiting episodic-retrieval mode, which is the neurocognitive state required for present stimuli to be interpreted as memory cues. He suggests that “AJ”’s superior autobiographical memory is largely the result of specific impairments rather than enhancements. McGaugh, who coined the term, provides mostly speculation in “A Case of Unusual Autobiographical Remembering”. For example, “AJ”, who has the first documented case of hyperthymesia, has difficulty consciously applying her memory strategies to help her memorize new knowledge, making her rote memorization abilities about average.īecause it is a recently discovered memory capability, neuroscientific explanations of hyperthymesia are scarce. Moreover, individuals with hyperthymesia do not focus on practiced mnemonic strategies. Unlike other people with advanced memory abilities, such as autism or savant syndrome (who tend to use calendrical calculation), individuals with hyperthymestic syndrome rely heavily on their personal “mental calendar”, which is an automatic and obsessive process. Persons with the syndrome have an unusual, amazing capacity to remember as well as recall any specific personal events or trivial details, including a date, the weather, what people wore on that day, from their past. Persons with the syndrome spend much of their time thinking about their pasts. Hyperthymesia has both enhanced autobiographical and episodic memory There are two important characteristics of hyperthymesia: The capabilities of the affected individuals are not limited to recalling specific events from their personal experience. The term thymesia is derived from the Greek word thymesis, meaning “memory”. Hyperthymesia or hyperthymesitic syndrome is superior autobiographical memory, the type of memory that forms people’s life stories. The capacity for exceptional memory can take several forms.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |