Hyperthymesia

 

Hyperthymesia - blessing and curse.

if someone asks you about your grades of standard second. Do you have the answer of this question. May you have or may you do not have the answer. but suppose someone asks you about the food you eat when you are in second standard. can you answer this question. I can not answer this question because i am a normal person and  a normal person can not remember their whole life.

There are two types of memories-

1. short-term memory-

                                   When you experience something, your brain stores it as a short-term memory. You probably remember what you wore yesterday, but that memory will fade quickly.

2. long-term memory-

                                   If the experience was meaningful, it may be stored indefinitely as a long-term memory. Most people remember where they were for a marriage proposal or their first kiss.

Short- and long-term memory are stored in different areas of the brain.

People with HSAM process short-term memories the same way as most people do. But researchers have found that, unlike most people, the accuracy and detail of memories improve over time in people with HSAM.

The type of memory associated with HSAM may be called autobiographical memory or eidetic memory. People with this type of memory recall events, images, dates — even conversations — in minute detail. And they’re able to summon these memories effortlessly.

People with HSAM can often remember things that happened when they were small children. But memories of events that occurred after the ages of about 10 or 12 are more vivid and detailed.

Causes of HSAM-

It’s not understood why some people have HSAM. By taking images of the brain, though, researchers have noticed that some parts of the brain structure of people with HSAM are different than those of people who have typical memory function.

However, it’s not known if these differences caused the HSAM or if they occurred because of the person’s greater use of areas of the brain associated with memory.

Ongoing research on memory will increase our understanding of HSAM’s causes.

HSAM can be both a gift and a challenge. People with keen autobiographical memory skills remember the bad times in addition to the good times. Although some people report struggling with memories cluttering their thoughts, most learn to focus on the good memories.

There are only 61 people worldwide who have been identified as having hyperthymesia, one of which is actress Marilu Henner, best known for her work on the show Taxi. Watch this TV interview where she speaks about her experience living with the disorder and recalls everything she did on January 17^th 1974.