Contents
There are people whose brains function like databases. They hold an enormous amount of information, but the data is strictly defined – it is only autobiographical details. The phenomenon of hypermnesia concerns a few cases in the world and despite many years of research, it still remains a mystery to neurobiologists.
- Hypermnesia is an absolute autobiographical memory, people affected by it remember all the details of their lives
- Despite many years of research, scientists have not got to the bottom of hypermnesia
- Hypermnesia can cause depression and anxiety in some people. The constant flow of memories does not have a positive effect on everyday functioning
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Hypermnesia – What is it?
We rarely realize how important a role memory plays in life, and that we do not actually exist without it. We remember automatically: we have some childhood and youth memories, we remember about the birthdays of loved ones, but also about the need to breathe, eat, wash hands, remember colors, flavors and sounds. It seems so natural that… we forget about memory.
Meanwhile, this complex and mysterious phenomenon has been the subject of research for centuries by scientists – neurobiologists, psychiatrists and psychologists. There are many types of memory disorders, but one of the most interesting and extremely rare is hypermnesia (HSAM), also called hypertime, absolute memory, or perfect memory.
The terms could be multiplied, but the essence of the phenomenon is one – people with this feature (or disease, because it is an anomaly that is difficult to diagnose) remember more than others and more than they would like to remember. Importantly, these memories concern only their lives, which means that they cannot use their atypical memory for their own purposes, it does not make it easier for them to learn, make a career, or function in everyday life. There is only memory of what they have already lived, both good times and bad.
Total Recall. It started with Jill Price
Of course, this is a large generalization, because unusual cases related to memory reportedly happened in antiquity. Writes about it, among others Helen Thomson, a science journalist and neuroscientist by training, in her book The Unthinkable. About people whose brains function differently ».
Jill Price, however, is a case that has already gone down in history, most often cited by scientists and the media alike, and studied in a variety of ways. He is the first person in the world to hear a specific diagnosis: HSAM. A dozen or so years ago, Jill Price, a Californian at the time, volunteered to Dr. James McGaugh, a neuroscientist who has researched the backstreets of human memory and who currently has over 550 scientific articles and books on creating memories.
What was Jill’s life like before she hit McGaugh’s path? As a child, she and her parents often moved, changing not only houses, but also cities. She wanted to remember so many places and events that, as early as eight years old, she began to keep detailed records, photos and all sorts of souvenirs that allowed her to organize her memories. If she wanted to train her memory in this way, she succeeded more than she had planned. Since she was 14, she remembers every day of her life in detail. She can tell about what she ate for breakfast, how she was dressed, and even what she felt and was thinking about at any given moment. Not only that – she even remembers what she heard on the radio several years ago and can recreate the details of this information, along with exact dates.
- How does the head get sick? Serious diseases that can lead to death
The dark side of absolute memory
On the surface, this seems like a fantastic trait, a privilege inaccessible to others. Unfortunately, there is also the dark side of this extraordinary gift – memories are triggered involuntarily, they attack and overwhelm her. Helen Thomson writes about Jill as follows: «She was not good at the daily bombardment of memories. It led to several episodes of depression. She often felt hopelessly sad because she constantly remembered very clearly the worst things that had happened to her ”.
Anything, even the smallest event, can be a catalyst for Jill’s memories. He is, in a way, a prisoner of his own memories. – Every day, my whole life flies through my head. It can drive you crazy – said Jill Price, quoted by The Guardian.
That’s why one day she decided to write an email to Dr. McGaugh. And so began the research that made Jill the subject of scientific interest.
- Six natural ways to keep your brain working at full capacity
The case of Jill Price was investigated by scientists from the University of California, incl. just James McGaugh. Her brain underwent a special scan which showed that both the hippocampus (the memory structure in the temporal lobe) and the prefrontal cortex looked normal. A theory has emerged that Jill’s brain resembles the brains of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, leading to speculation that Price’s unusual memory is actually a byproduct of compulsive journaling. However, both the patient and Dr. McGaugh were skeptical about the theory.
The case of Jill Price was described in a 2006 scientific publication in the journal Neurocase. It caused an avalanche of interest in the media and Internet users. Jill Price couldn’t help but ask for interviews.
We didn’t have to wait long for the effect. Messages began to flow in from people who suspected they had similar memory abilities or knew someone who had such a feature. McGaugh’s lab has begun to verify them. The second person verified as “sick” with hypermnesia was Brad Williams, a radio announcer in Wisconsin. The third was Rick Baron, whose sister read about Jill Price on the internet. The fourth turned out to be Bob Petrell – a comedian who became a screenwriter and producer of television reality shows.
- Bacopa Monniera helps to improve the work of the brain, memory and concentration. You can buy the supplement in Medonet Market
“They called me Rain Man”
Bob Petrell was described in her book by the aforementioned Helen Thomson. She met him one day in a London coffee shop. Bob was late for the meeting because … he forgot where they made an appointment.
What is it like to remember each day of your life in detail?
“It’s like watching a video of a family gathering,” said Bob Petrell, 67 at the time. – When I go back to any chosen day in my past, I experience everything that I felt then. I remember what the weather was like, whether it was hot and muggy, what I was wearing, and whether the clothes were loose or tight.
- Memory loss – main causes. How to train your memory?
It wasn’t until his teenage years that Bob discovered his extraordinary abilities. He quickly realized that thanks to them he could sparkle at youth parties. But the reception was not what Bob expected. People didn’t understand him, considered him a freak.
“They called me Rain Man,” he said. But later he added that it looks different with him than with Jill Price. He is not “bombarded” with memories like her, he has much more control over it. He is also not worried that he remembers many bad moments, he treats them as a very expressive and detailed lesson on how not to make mistakes.
Bob remembers his mother breastfeeding him. How she held him upside down over the sink, trying to make it easier for him to cough up while ill. These memories are obviously more vague than the later ones, but there are many indications that Petrell did not suffer the so-called childhood amnesia that erases the events of early childhood from memory.
The essence of hypermnesia is still unknown
The American psychologist William James stated in the late nineteenth century that if we could remember everything, we would be in just as bad a situation as remembering nothing. – Amnesia, with a few exceptions, is therefore not an imperfection, a memory disorder, but a proof of its health and vitality – said James, quoted by Helen Thomson.
Undoubtedly, hypermnesia is, in a sense, a disease state, a disorder. Its causes have not been fully explored, and there is still debate about it in the academic community. – However, many scientists point to the important role of a specific structure in the brain, i.e. the amygdala belonging to the limbic system. It is responsible for the emotional processing of information, writes psychologist Justyna Janusz on the MedoVita.pl portal.
Certainly, strong emotions have an influence on remembering certain events. Among the reasons, there are also links with obsessive-compulsive disorders (this was the case with Jill Price). Some scientists pay attention to personality traits visible in the respondents, which are characterized by a tendency to compulsive behavior, i.e. behaviors that are constantly repeated under the influence of internal compulsion (e.g. washing hands, counting in thoughts). It is very possible that people with extraordinary autobiographical memory have a greater tendency to analyze specific situations, pay attention to details, or think about the past.
A young Australian’s nightmare
According to The Guardian, by 2012, scientists had confirmed only six cases of HSAM. However, in the following years, other sources gave different numbers, and there were more cases in the media of people with remarkable autobiographical memories.
One of them is Rebecca Sharock – now around 30, an Australian from Brisbane – who says she even remembers when she was a baby. For years, the woman has been struggling with depression, anxiety and insomnia, as well as nightmares caused by a wave of unwanted memories.
Rebecca Sharock often appears in the media, which she reports on her Facebook profile:
Prof. Gail Robinson, a clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Queensland. This includes thanks to her, the Australian implements various techniques in her everyday life that allow her to control her memories. Despite numerous studies conducted by Australian and American scientists on Rebecca Sharock’s brain, they did not give reliable results and did not answer the question of where does hypermnesia come from.
However, such cases allow them to gradually discover the secrets of the human mind. Prof. Gail Robinson sees it as a hope, for example, to broaden the knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease. – Over 400 Australians live with dementia, and the most common cause is Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, it is more important than ever to further investigate the way the brain encodes and stores memories, ‘said Prof. Gail Robinson to ABC.net.au.
Also read:
- «Brain fog». Recuperators after COVID-19 report more and more disorders
- New cells have been discovered in the human brain. They are important in everyday life
- How to “immunize” the brain against the effects of Alzheimer’s? There is a way, and a nice one
The content of the medTvoiLokony website is intended to improve, not replace, the contact between the Website User and their doctor. The website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Before following the specialist knowledge, in particular medical advice, contained on our Website, you must consult a doctor. The Administrator does not bear any consequences resulting from the use of information contained on the Website.
Do you need a medical consultation or an e-prescription? Go to halodoctor.pl, where you will get online help – quickly, safely and without leaving your home.