the man who couldnt remember.docx

the man who couldnt remember.docx

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themanwhocouldntremember

TheManWhoCouldn'tRemember

ThisportraitofHenryGustavMolaison,orH.M.,wastakenshortlybeforeheunderwenttheexperimentalsurgerythatwoulddestroyhisabilitytoformlong-termmemories.

TheMolaisonfamily,circa1930.H.M.couldrecallmajorhistoriceventsofhischildhood,suchasthestockmarketcrashin1929,aswellasthegistofactivitieslikerollerskatingthathelovedasaboy.

Afterhissurgery,H.M.waslargelyhomebound,andhisliferevolvedaroundsimplechoreslikegroceryshopping,yetheretainedasenseofhumorandpositiveoutlook.

PsychologistBrendaMilnertestedH.M.'sabilitytolearnnewskills,involvingtheformationof"motormemories,"withthisexperimentinwhichhehadtotraceastarthathecouldseeonlyinamirror.Overtime,hisperformanceimproved.TryityourselfinthisactivityfromHHMI.MoreonHHMIanditspartnershipwithNOVA

In1974,H.M.andhismothermovedtothehomeofarelativeinHartford,Connecticutwhoactedastheircaregiver.

H.M.adoredcrosswordpuzzles,whichhefelthadapositiveimpactonhismentalsharpness,andwasafanoftheTVsitcom"AllintheFamily."

H.M.movedtoanursinghomein1980andlivedthereuntilhisdeathinDecember2008.

H.M.wantedneuroscientiststobeabletocontinuestudyinghisbrain.Afterhisdeath,CorkinoversawMRIimagingworkinBoston,afterwhichneuroscientistDr.JacopoAnnesetransportedhisbraintoaresearchfacilityattheUniversityofCalifornia,SanDiego.

ResearchersatUCSD'sBrainObservatoryarecurrentlypreparingH.M.'sBrainforanalysis.Eventually,imagesofthesespecimenswillbeavailableonline.

SuzanneCorkinisProfessorofBehavioralNeuroscienceintheDepartmentofBrainandCognitiveSciencesatMIT.HerbookaboutH.M.isduetobepublishedin2010.

Forfivedecades,neuroscientistSuzanneCorkinworkedwithHenryGustavMolaison,amanknownintheannalsofsciencesimplyasH.M.Shespentcountlesshourstalkingwithhimandtestinghim.Sheknewintimatedetailsabouthischildhood,andhewasoneofthesubjectsofherPh.D.thesis.CorkinwasafamiliarfacetoH.M.,yetremarkablyhecouldneverrememberwhoshewas.InthisinterviewCorkin,nowaprofessorofbehavioralneuroscienceatMIT,describesheruniquerelationshipwitha"pureamnesic"whohelpedshedlightonhowmemoryworks.Amorein-depthaccountwillbeavailableinthebookCorkiniswritingaboutH.M.,duetobepublishedin2010.

Anillustriousbrain

NOVA:

It'sbeensaidthatH.M.isoneofthemoststudiedpatientsinmedicalhistory.Howso?

SuzanneCorkin:

H.M.wasaresearchparticipantfor53years,firstattheHartfordHospitalwith[WilliamBeecher]Scovilleand[Brenda]Milner,thenattheMontrealNeurologicalInstitute,andsince1964,atMITandMGH[MassachusettsGeneralHospital].Roughly100scientistshaveinterviewedortestedH.M.Heisthetopicofmanyresearchpapersandbookchaptersaboutmemory.He'salsohighlightedinmostintroductorypsychologybooks,incognitivescienceandneurosciencetextbooks,andalsoinadvancedtextbooksthatgraduatestudentsandmedicalstudentsuse.Sohe'sverywellknownwithintheacademiccommunity.He'salsobeginningtobeknownoutsidetheacademiccommunity.AndIthinkpeoplewillreallyenjoyhearinghisstory.

Q:

Isitfairtosaythathisbrain,morethananyother,hastaughtuswhatweknowaboutourbrains?

Corkin:

Well,he'scertainlytaughtusagreatdealaboutwhatweknowaboutmemory.BeforeH.M.,thecommonviewwasthatwhenyouremembersomething,you'reengagingyourwholebrain,ormaybeyourwholecerebralcortex—thatalltheneuronsworktogethertoevokeamemory.OnceH.M.hadthisoperationwhereScovilleremovedthistinyareaontheleftandrightsidesofhisbraininthemiddlepartofthetemporallobes,andheimmediatelyhadaprofoundmemoryimpairment,thenweknew,aha!

Memory,long-termmemory—theabilitytoestablishlong-termmemories—islocalizedtothistinyareainthebrain.Sothatwasthefirstbiginsight.

Anotherinsightwasthatyoucouldhaveaprofoundmemorylossandstillbeanintelligentperson.H.M.'sIQwas112afterhisoperation.Averageisaround100.Sohe'saboveaverageintellectually.Inaddition,hedidn'thaveperceptualdeficitsorlanguagedeficits.Hedidn'thavepsychiatricsymptoms.Hewasn'tanxious.Hewasn'tdepressed.Hewaswhatwecall"pure,"apureamnesic.

Q:

AsIunderstandit,H.M.underwentthisoperationasalast-resortattempttocurehisepilepsy.Howseverewashiscondition?

Corkin:

Hisepilepsywasreallyincapacitating.Hedroppedoutofonehighschoolbecausetheotherboysteasedhimabouthisseizures.Thenhewenttoadifferenthighschoolandeventuallygraduatedwhenhewas21yearsold.HewenttoworkatAceElectricMotorCompany,whereheworkedwithtwoothermenrepairingmotors.HealsoworkedonanassemblylineatRoyalTypewriter.Buthehadtostopworkingbecauseofthefrequencyofhisseizures.Itwasjusttoodangerousforhimtobeintheworkplace.Sohewasbasicallyathomewithhisparents.Hislifewasonhold.Hewasgivenveryhighdosesoftheanti-epilepticdrugsthatwereavailablethen,buttonoavail.

ScovilleandhiscolleaguesworkedHenryupoveraseriesofvisits,triedtofindapartofhisbrainwheretheseizureswerestarting,sothattheycouldperhapsremovethatpart.Unfortunately,theydidn'tfindthishotspotortrigger.SoScovilleperformedwhathecalleda"franklyexperimentaloperation"andtookoutthemedialstructures,thehippocampusandthesurroundingcortex,onbothsides,leftandright.

Q:

Diditlessentheseizures?

Corkin:

Itdid,itdid.Aftertheoperation,H.M.hadveryfewseizures—someyearsnotatall,otheryearshemighthavetwo.Sointermsoftheepilepsy,theoperationaccomplisheditsgoal.But,ofcourse,thetragedywasthathewasunabletoestablishanynewlong-termmemoriesafterthat.

Livinginthemoment

Q:

Inbroadterms,howdidthisinabilitytoformmemoriesimpacthislife?

Corkin:

Well,hewascompletelydependent.Hecouldneverliveindependently.Helivedathomewithhismotherandfatheraftertheoperation.Hisdailyroutineincludedgoingtothemarketwithherandcarryingthegroceries,mowingthelawn,rakingtheleaves,watchingtelevision,lookingatnewspapersandmagazines,andthatwasprettymuchit.Hedidnothavemuchofasociallife.

Oneofhisfavoritepastimes,probablyhismostfavoritepastime,wasdoingcrosswordpuzzles.Hewouldspendlargeamountsofthedaywithhiscrosswordpuzzlebook.Hebelievedthattheywerehelpinghim,becausewhenhedidthepuzzleshewasrememberingwords.Hewasretrievingwordsfromhislong-termmemory,fromhissemanticstore.Hehadtheinsighttoappreciatethathewasremembering,andhethoughtthiswashelpfultohim.Anditprobablywas,insomeway.

Q:

Whatwasitliketalkingwithhim?

Corkin:

H.M.wasverysoft-spoken,andhelovedtoconverse.Youcouldbehavingaconversationwithhim,andwithin15minuteshewouldtellyouthesamestorythreetimes,inthesametoneofvoice,samevocabulary,andhavenoideathathehadtoldyouthestorybefore.

Q:

Ifhehadjusteatenlunch,wouldherememberwhathehadeaten?

Corkin:

Hereallyhadnocontinuityfromminutetominute,hourtohour,daytoday.Ifyoutalkedtohimintheafternoonandsaid,"Haveyouhadlunch?

"hewouldsay,"Idon'tknow"or"Iguessso,"buthewouldnotrememberwhathehadhad.Andifyouasked,"Whatwasyourlastmeal?

"hewouldn'tknowwhatitwas.

Q:

Youworkedwithhimforfivedecades.Didhegrowtorecognizeyouandknowyou?

Corkin:

Formany,manyyears,hethoughtthatheknewmefromhighschool.IwouldgotoseehimandI'dsay,"Hi,Henry,howareyou?

"Andhe'dsay,"I'mfine."I'dsortofsay,"Haveweevermetbefore?

"Andhe'dsay,"Yes."AndI'dsay,"Where?

"Andhe'dsay,"Inhighschool."Hesaidthateverysingletime.SoImusthaveevokedsomefeelingoffamiliarity.Theremustbesomethingaboutmethatremindedhimofsomeoneheinteractedwithinhighschool,afriendofsomesort.

Interestingly,yearsago,Iwouldgivehimalistofnames,oflastnames,allbeginningwithC,andhecouldpickoutCorkin.Now,hedidn'tknowwhetherCorkinwasmaleorfemale,andhecouldn'ttellyouanythingaboutCorkin,buthehadfamiliarity.HerecognizedCorkin.

Morerecently,maybefiveyearsagonow,Iwastalkingtoanursefromthenursinghome.Shesaid,"IjustwentintoHenry'sroom,andIsaidtohim,'IwastalkingtoyourfriendSuzannefromBoston,'andhesaid'Corkin.'"SohehadanassociationbetweenSuzanneandCorkin.Buthereallydidn'tknowwhoIwas.

Q:

Wasitfrighteningforhimtoencounterpeoplerepeatedlyyetnotreallyknowwhotheywere?

Corkin:

Youmightthinkthatifyoucouldn'trememberanybody,andifsomebodywalkedintoyourroom,youcouldreactineitheroftwoways.Youmightfeelverythreatened—"Idon'tknowthisperson.Ineedtobeonthedefensive,becausethispersonmightharmme."Oryoucouldjustaccepteveryoneasafriend.AndHenrydidthelatter.Hewasn'tfearful.

Retainingoldmemories

Q:

Hecouldn'tcreatenewmemories,butweretheoldonesfromhischildhoodstillintact?

Corkin:

H.M.definitelyhadmemoriesfromhispreoperativeyears.Hisgeneralknowledgeabouttheworld,whatwecallsemanticknowledge,wasexcellent.Sohecouldtellyouaboutthe[1929]stockmarketcrash,andhecouldtellyouaboutWorldWarII,andhecouldtellyouofthechargeonSanJuanHill,andmanypublicevents.

Healsohadmemorie