Hyperthymestic Syndrome
You can readily extend the text discussion of of A. J., currently being studied by University of California, Irvine, researchers Elizabeth Parker, Larry Cahill, and
James McGaugh. A. J., a 40-year-old woman, has a seemingly limitless memory. A few years ago, she contacted McGaugh and said, “I have a problem. I remember too much.” Known as “the human calendar,” A. J. is able to recall in full detail what she was doing on any specific date between 1974 and today. If you randomly pick a date, she recalls the day of the week, the weather, and any significant news events on topics that interested her. Given the random dates below, A. J. immediately gave the responses on the right:
August 16, 1977: Elvis Presley died
June 6, 1978: Proposition 13 passed in California
May 25, 1979: Plane crash in Chicago
May 18, 1980: Mount St. Helens erupted
October 5, 1983: Bombing in Beirut killed 300
December 21, 1988: Lockerbie plane crash
January 17, 1994: Northridge earthquake
Asked to identify the dates of Easter from 1980 to 2003, A. J. provided 23 of 24 correctly in 10 minutes along with a personal event from each holiday. Her
diary, which she kept from ages 10 to 34, has been useful in verifying the accuracy of her autobiographical recall. A. J.’s memory is “nonstop, uncontrollable, and automatic.” When asked how she knows an answer, she states, often with some frustration, that she “just knows.” Clearly, she does not need or use mnemonics. In fact, the amazing capacity to recall is sometimes a burden with one memory cuing another and another, forcing A. J. to relive her life like a “movie in her mind that never stops.” The researchers believe that A. J. is the first person with this form of superior autobiographical memory. In an issue of the journal Neurocase, they coined the term hyperthymestic syndrome for her condition, and they wonder if anyone else might share her amazing capacity.
In the near future, the research team hopes to use MRI and other scanning techniques to learn more about the physical basis for A. J.’s peculiar mental abilities.
James McGaugh. A. J., a 40-year-old woman, has a seemingly limitless memory. A few years ago, she contacted McGaugh and said, “I have a problem. I remember too much.” Known as “the human calendar,” A. J. is able to recall in full detail what she was doing on any specific date between 1974 and today. If you randomly pick a date, she recalls the day of the week, the weather, and any significant news events on topics that interested her. Given the random dates below, A. J. immediately gave the responses on the right:
August 16, 1977: Elvis Presley died
June 6, 1978: Proposition 13 passed in California
May 25, 1979: Plane crash in Chicago
May 18, 1980: Mount St. Helens erupted
October 5, 1983: Bombing in Beirut killed 300
December 21, 1988: Lockerbie plane crash
January 17, 1994: Northridge earthquake
Asked to identify the dates of Easter from 1980 to 2003, A. J. provided 23 of 24 correctly in 10 minutes along with a personal event from each holiday. Her
diary, which she kept from ages 10 to 34, has been useful in verifying the accuracy of her autobiographical recall. A. J.’s memory is “nonstop, uncontrollable, and automatic.” When asked how she knows an answer, she states, often with some frustration, that she “just knows.” Clearly, she does not need or use mnemonics. In fact, the amazing capacity to recall is sometimes a burden with one memory cuing another and another, forcing A. J. to relive her life like a “movie in her mind that never stops.” The researchers believe that A. J. is the first person with this form of superior autobiographical memory. In an issue of the journal Neurocase, they coined the term hyperthymestic syndrome for her condition, and they wonder if anyone else might share her amazing capacity.
In the near future, the research team hopes to use MRI and other scanning techniques to learn more about the physical basis for A. J.’s peculiar mental abilities.