Emjay Sunga Rosales

NEVERFORGET: HYPERTHYMESI A ( Sci enceAr t i cl e) ByEmj ayRosal es “ Whendi dy ouwat cht he134t hepi sodeofOnePi ece? " “ I twasOct ober7, 2003, af t erIcamehomef r om school wi t hcooki esi nmyhands. ” Thi smi ghtbeascenar i of orsomeoneshar i ngat al kwi t haper sonhav i ngasy ndr omecal l ed hy per t hy mesi a.Despi t et hemi nor i t yofdet ai l sandt r i v i al i t yoft hedat ef oranor di nar yper son, f orahy per t hy mest i c, i twasj ustasv i v i dasi ft hescenar i oj usthappenedy est er day . WHATI SHYPERTHYMESI A? Hy per t hy mesi aort heHi ghl ySuper i orAut obi ogr aphi cal Memor y( HSAM)i sar ar e neur ol ogi cal condi t i oni nwhi chaper soni sext r emel ycapabl eofcl ear l yr ecal l i ngev er ybi gand smal l det ai l ofhi sl i f e.I tcamef r om t heAnci entGr eekwor ds“ hy per ”meani ng“ excessi v e, ”and “ t hy mesi s”meani ng“ r emember i ng. ” Uni v er si t yofCal i f or ni ar esear cher sJamesMcGaugh, Lar r yCahi l l , El i zabet hPar ker , andDr . Paul Tej er adef i nedt hatt her ewasadi st i nct i onbet weenpeopl ewi t hr emar kabl ememor yand peopl ewi t hhy per t hy mesi a.Thef or meronl yr ememberhi spastev ent st hatar esi gni f i cantand i nf l uent i al , whi l et hel at t eraut omat i cal l yper cei v ememor i eswi t houtempl oy i ngmnemoni csor t act i cs.Thei rmemor i esar ei nv ol unt ar yandhav eanuncont r ol l abl eassoci at i on. LI VI NGWI THHSAM AJ—t henr ev eal edasJi l l Pr i ce—i sanAmer i canwomanf r om Sout her nCal i f or ni awho becamet hef i r stonewi t hhy per t hy mesi acaseknownt opubl i ct hr ought hej our nal Neur ocasei n 2006, andshe’ st hef i r stt or ecei v esuchdi agnosi s.Forpeopl e, i t ’ sabl essi ngofhav i ngan i ncr edi bl ememor ycapaci t y , butf orPr i ce, i t ’ sbecomet oomuchsheof t enf eel exhaust ed. “ Mosthav ecal l edi tagi f tbutIcal l i tabur den.Ir unmyent i r el i f et hr oughmyheadev er y dayandi tdr i v esmecr azy , ”sai dPr i cewhenhef i r stsentanemai l t oMcGaugh. Forhy per t hy mest i cper son, t hei rbr ai ni sl i keacomput er .Theyst or ei ncr edi bl yl ar ge amountofi nf or mat i on, bi gorsmal l , andt heyj ustov er f l owaut omat i cal l y .I t ’ sl i keseei nga70' s mov i eandst i l l r ecal l howt hepr ot agoni stf el l i nl ov ewi t hhi smuseoner ai nyev eni ngi nacof f ee shop. Theyst i l l hav esi mi l ar i t i eswi t hav er agepeopl e—r ecept i v et of al sememor i esandt he t hi nki ngpr ocessesar est i l l qui t et hesame. Av er agepeopl epr ocessi nf or mat i oni nt ot heshor t t er m memor yf ort hei rr ecent exper i ences.I fsomet hi ngr emar kabl ehappened, t heygetst or edi nl ongt er m memor y .Thi s si t uat i onappl i esf orpeopl ewi t hhy per t hy mesi aaswel l , al t hought hr ought heper i odoft i me, t heyst i l l getsov i v i d. HABI TFORMI NGBEHAVI OR I nt heJul y2012i ssueoft hej our nal Neur obi ol ogyofLear ni ngandMemor y , ar esear chhas cl ai medt hatt hei r10HSAM par t i ci pant s’ whol ebr ai nst r uct ur al magnet i cr esonancei magi ng scansr ev eal edt obemor phol ogi cal l ydi f f er entt hant hosehav i nganav er agememor yf unct i on. Anexampl ei st hei ncr easeofpar ahi ppocampal gy r us—acor t i cal r egi onl ocat edi nt hemedi al t empor al l obewhi chi sengagedi nr et r ospect i onofemot i onal memor i es.Anot heronei st he i ncr easeofunci nat ef asci cul uswhi chi sr esponsi bl ef orencodi ngmemor yandr et r i ev al . Thef i ndi ngsr ev eal edHSAM par t i ci pant shav eahabi t f or mi ngbehav i or .I nAJ' scase, she usedt ost or eherper sonal bel ongi ngsi nanor gani zedway , l i keot herHSAM subj ect shav i ng obsessi v ebehav i or s. I nt hecaseofPr i ce, apor t i onofhermedi al t empor al l obeandcaudat enucl ei wer e di spr opor t i onat el yl ar ge.Tempor al l obecol l ect sandr et ai nsf act swhi l ecaudat enucl eus pr ocesses“ aut omat i chabi t s”( Cahi l l , 2009) . Amy gdal acanbeacer t ai npar toft hebr ai nt hati sr esponsi bl ef ort hecondi t i on.Ther ewer e st udi esonHSAM subj ect swher et hei rr i ghtamy gdal ai smuchl ar ger .Amy gdal aaf f ect sour emot i onal andsel f r ef er ent i al r esponses, andi si nv ol v edi nourmemor y . ” Unf or t unat el y , t her ewer est i l l noconcl usi v eev i dencest hatwoul dest abl i sht heexact r easonwhyhy per t hy mest i cpeopl ear eabl et ost or ei nf or mat i oni nanear per f ectpl otov ert he cour seoft hei rl i v es. Hy per t hy mesi ahasbeenadopt edi ndi f f er entl i t er at ur eandf i l ms, j ustl i ket hest or y l i neof onet hemostpopul ar2015Sout hkor eant el ev i si onser i esRemember : Waroft heSon, wher et he pr ot agoni stsuf f er sf r om t hesamecondi t i onbutt henbegi nst ol osehi smemor i esduet o Al zhei mer ’ sdi sease—t hesl owdecl i neofmemor y . Thebr eakt hr oughofMcGaugh, et .al ’ sr esear chwi l l f ur t herhel pt hef ut ur ei nsi ght sabout t hecondi t i on.Resear chesandst udi esar est i l l gr owi ngandunf ol di ng. Agi f toracur se, hy per t hy mest i ci ndi v i dual sar et heoneswhowoul ddeci de.