Remembering : what 50 years of research with famous amnesia patient H.M. can teach us about memory and how it works / Donald G. MacKay.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

MacKay, Donald G., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

H. M., 1926-2008.

H. M.

Memory.

Cognition.

Psychology.

Physical Description:

400 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Other Title:

What fifty years of research with famous amnesia patient H.M. can teach us about memory

Place of Publication:

Amherst, New York : Prometheus Books, 2019.

Summary:

"The psychologist who worked with a famous amnesiac patient for fifty years explains what his studies show about how memory functions and ways to keep the brain sharp. An ordinary man became famous by devoting his life to helping scientists understand his memory, mind, and brain, trusting in the promise that what they learned about him would "help others." His name was Henry Moliason, but until recently, the general public knew him only as H.M. At age twenty-seven, Henry underwent brain surgery to remedy life-threatening epilepsy. This operation inadvertently destroyed his hippocampus, the engine in the brain for forming new memories. Henry suffered catastrophic memory failures for the rest of his life and he became the most studied amnesia patient in the history of the world. Dr. Donald MacKay worked with Henry for fifty years. MacKay's research shows how to keep memories sharp at any age and how to offset the degradation that aging and infrequent use inflict on memory. His studies also reveal the profound importance of memory: Memory decline impacts everything that makes a normal human mind and brain worth having: creative expression, artistic endeavors, awareness, the ability to plan, to comprehend, to detect and correct errors, to appreciate humor, to imagine hypothetical situations, and to perceive novelty in the world. Remembering summarizes other results of the revolution in scientific understanding of mind and memory that began with Henry. Importantly, it makes good on the promise that research with Henry would "help others" by focusing on what readers wishing to maintain the everyday functioning of memory, mind, and brain (their own or others') can learn from the still ongoing revolution that Henry inspired"-- Provided by publisher.

"The psychologist who worked with a famous amnesiac patient for fifty years explains what his studies show about how memory functions and ways to keep the brain sharp"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Section I The Broken Memory Mystery

Chapter 1 We're All Forgetters, Samantha p. 11

Chapter 2 Weird News, Inadequately Researched p. 29

Chapter 3 How Can You Help Vulnerable Memories Survive? p. 47

Chapter 4 Creative Aging: A Silver Lining p. 53

Chapter 5 What Is It Like to Be You, Henry? p. 69

Chapter 6 Welcome to Henry's Lifesaving Contract with Science! p. 81

Section II The Engines of Memory and Mind

Chapter 7 The New Memory Factory p. 91

Chapter 8 Fetch That Memory, Browser p. 107

Chapter 9 Humpty Dumpty after His Fall p. 131

Chapter 10 Putting Humpty Dumpty Together Again p. 141

Section III Awareness Out of the Blue

Chapter 11 Can You Create New Concepts, Henry? p. 157

Chapter 12 Creative Comprehension in Everyday Life p. 169

Chapter 13 The Man Who Mistook a Wastebasket for a Window p. 175

Chapter 14 The Mysterious Face in the Mirror p. 185

Chapter 15 Metaphors Be with You, Henry p. 201

Chapter 16 What's in a Name, Henry? p. 209

Chapter 17 The Hippocampus Has a Shadow, Henry p. 223

Chapter 18 She Said What to Whom, Henry? p. 233

Section IV Out of the Blue Creation

Chapter 19 How Much Her Do You Want, Henry? p. 243

Chapter 20 What's New, Henry? p. 255

Chapter 21 Uninvited Invaders of the Mind p. 269

Chapter 22 How Creative Are You, Henry? p. 287

Chapter 23 You're Not Kidding, Henry p. 293

Section V Compensating for Catastrophe

Chapter 24 Play It Again, Henry p. 309

Chapter 25 Do You Remember What s-Her-Name, Henry? p. 317

Section VI Celebration and Commemoration

Chapter 26 Lets Celebrate a Promise Fulfilled, Henry p. 331.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: MacKay, Donald G., author. Remembering

ISBN:

9781633884076

1633884074

OCLC:

1060600040