Brain Blogger Home
  • Home
  • About
    • Editor's Note
    • Contributors
  • Advertise
  • Archives
    • By Author
    • By Topic
    • By Year
    • By Month
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Topics
    • Popular
    • Series
    • Video
    • Carnivals
  • Sitemap
  • Subscribe
  • Neuroscience & Neurology
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Health & Healthcare
  • More >>
    • BioPsychoSocial Health
    • Complementary & Alternative Medicine
    • Drugs & Clinical Trials
    • History of Medicine
    • Law & Politics
    • Living with a Brain Disorder
    • Opinion
    • Site News
    • Stigmatization
Brain Blogger RSS Feed

Brain Blogger Feed - 3500+ Readers

Follow BB:

Brain Blogger on FaceBook Brain Blogger on twitter Brain Blogger on Flickr Brain Blogger on YouTube
Neuroscience & Neurology
February 14, 2009

The Memory of an Elephant

By Maria Goddard, MD | 4 Comments | Share | Print | Email | Tweet | Like | 1+

Neuroscience and Neurology CategoryAre there days in your life that you would rather forget ever happened? Falling down the stairs in front or your entire class or an embarrassing fashion faux pas? By the same token, there are some occasions we wish could remain as fresh in our mind’s eye as the day they occurred — whether it is a wedding day, the birth of a child or a graduation. Scientists have found 4 individuals who possess what is being referred to as “super-memory” — the ability to recall in uncanny detail both private and world events that have taken place. Three of the individuals are male; the lone female was the first to be recognized.

MemoryFunctional MRI (fMRI) of the brain showed two enlarged regions: the caudate nuclei and the area of the temporal lobe responsible for retaining information (see our reviews on fMRI, part 1 and 2). Many studies, including a publication by Dr. Norman White from the Department of Psychology at McGill University, have shown that damage to the caudate nucleus results in impaired memory. Huntington’s disease, a hereditary disorder with memory loss and abnormal movements, is caused by a lesion in this area of the brain.

The inability to put details out of your mind can be a blessing and a curse. Suppression of thoughts or memories which cause distress is considered by psychologists to be one of the mature coping mechanisms. It appears as though those who have super-memory would be unable to accomplish this successfully. Jill Price, the first person identified, relates her in book The Woman Who Can’t Forget that she often feels anguish over the constant flood of recollections.

Investigations into this phenomenon are still in the preliminary stages as scientists continue to recruit potential subjects. In the future, studies on persons with super-memory may provide researchers with answers as to how we retain information and may be the key to diseases where memory is affected such as Alzheimer dementia and Parkinson disease. However I’m sure that there are times when these four people yearn to just forget.

References

N WHITE (2008). Some highlights of research on the effects of caudate nucleus lesions over the past 200 years Behavioural Brain Research DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.12.003

Maria Goddard, MD

Dr. Goddard is a medical doctor who has worked in research for the last three years. Her interests include traditional and alternative medicine as well as the sociological implications of certain diseases in particular populations.

Related Articles

  • A Surgeon’s Mistake Provides Insight into Memory and Learning
  • Sleep Is Important for Next Day Memory Formation
  • Memory – Not as Good as We Think
  • Love Can Alleviate Pain
  • How “False” Memories Appear True
  • Daytime Napping Improves Memory
  • More Reasons To Eat Blueberries

4 Responses

  1. Medical revision says:
    February 14, 2009 at 11:07 am

    I still don’t get it. What exactly is the caudate nucleus?

    I don’t think I’m ever going to understand neuro anatomy.

    Reply
  2. Leukocyte says:
    February 14, 2009 at 1:45 pm

    The caudate nucleus is part of the telencephalon (forebrain), but is inside (underneath) of the cerebral cortex, so it is called a subcortical nucleus. It is actually part of a group of nuclei called the basal nuclei or basal ganglia that are involved in motion and a whole lot of other stuff. It’s specific location is somewhat wrapped around the lateral edge of the lateral ventricles, the butterfly-like open spaces that are so easily visible on an MRI. Check it out at the: Harvard Brain Atlas

    Reply
  3. Bret says:
    February 14, 2009 at 3:10 pm

    I find that too. My memory begins around 4 yrs old and I can pretty much recollect details from that age forward. Though I notice that periods with lower emotional content tend to get lost “boring periods”. And yes it is certainly a curs, you can clearly remember every stuffup.

    Reply
  4. sunnyray says:
    March 3, 2009 at 2:30 pm

    Yes I agree too. If you cannot forget some emotional content (or forgive if you got hurt by somebody) that is definitely a curse and this kind of memory can be only a burden.

    Reply

    Leave a Reply

    Click here to cancel reply.

    Subscribe without commenting


    Popular Posts

    • The Love Drug
    • Women After Sex
    • Fatty Acids and Suicide Risk
    • Mind Games - Science's Attempts at Thought Control
    • Risks of Personalized Medicine
    • Mental Health Disorders Prevalent Among Youth Worldwide
    • Is Giftedness Nothing More than Good Genes?
    • Behind the Masks - The Mysteries of Dissociative Identity Disorder
    • The NeuroSocial Network
    • Inside Your Brain on Holiday

    Future Posts

    • A Nicotine Patch a Day Keeps the Cognitive Impairment Away

    Latest Posts

    • The Many Emerging Roles of Astrocytes
    • Diabetes Impairs Cognition
    • Media Violence Leads to Real Violence
    • Intelligence – Are You Holding Back Your Brain?
    • Childhood Aggression Predicts Health Care Use Later in Life
    • The Brain’s Border Patrol – Blood Brain Barrier
    • Risks of Personalized Medicine
    • BED-head and Obesity – Food for Thought
    • Salvia Divinorum – DEA Control over Magic in the Mint
    • Mighty Microglia – The Brain’s Immune Cells Key to Treating Brain Diseases

    Comments

    • Matt: I'm just interested in hearing
    • Carla Easley: If everyone adopted the "Growt
    • Isabel (retired RN): I second that query for resear
    • David: How about some citations to pe
    • MrsK: @Dawn - I agree with your stat
    • andrew: this is really cool!! i love t
    • Dawn: 18. Dawn Says:Wow, some o
    • Richard Kensinger, MSW: We understand that there are m
    • Lisamarie Antonicelli: In response to Diabetes Impair
    • : Hey Gang, There is a wonderfu
    • Alexis remm: sorry for the errors
    • Alexis remm: Ok both have reason just some
    Sponsored Links

    chinese wholesale, memory improvement, web design brisbane, Autism News Blog, Pharmaceutical Training, Neurotherapist, HGH, Banner Stands , Buy Plavix , AtomicPR , drug rehab , Lab Tests California

    Copyright © 2005-2012 Brain Blogger sponsored by Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation (GNIF). All Rights Reserved.
    Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Feed | Log in | ISSN 1931-6224 | 0.866s
    9rules Network Member