The case Study of Clive Wearing (Bryan & Evelin)

How Brain Damage Affects Memory.

THE CASE STUDY OF CLIVE WEARING:

CLIVE WEARING: Has a memory spans of just seconds.  Suffered from an infection of herpes encephalitis that targeted the area of the brain related to memory  Medial Temporal lobe damaged, hippocampus and frontal lobes.  Can still read and write and play music  Cannot learn new pieces of music. 

AMNESIA 

The inability of memorizing and remembering new data or input or recall data that has already been learned or memorized. (can be caused by brain injury or infection) Retrograde amnesia- the failure to recall memories that have been stored before trauma  Anterograde amnesia- the failure to store memories after trauma. 

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Clive’s case is one of the most severe cases of amnesia reported.

TRAUMA SUFFERED: 

Suffered trauma to the hippocampus and medial temporal lobe. 

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Hippocampus: belongs to limbic system, plays large role in long-term memory and spatial navigation.  Located within the temporal lobes.  Not only stores the memories also interconnects them with other memories and gives them meaning.

Damage to the hippocampus can hinder your ability to retain data, and even if data is retained all possible meaning might be lost in the case of trauma.

TRAUMA CONTINUED… 

Left temporal lobe Clive's

damage to the temporal lobes prevents from any shape or form of memory retaining

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right temporal lobe is not damaged.  his

ability for music and writing seems to be unaffected.