Fading Memories
Taylre LaMendola & Havin Bradley
How is our research effective?
We chose this topic because it seemed interesting. Also, we both have a personal connection to the subject; our fifth grade teacher once told us about her mother who had retrograde amnesia. This research can help us as well as others be more aware of memory disorders when we happen to run across them.
Retrograde Amnesia introduction
Retrograde amnesia is a type of amnesia which causes a person to not be able to recall events after the development of the amnesia but can retain information about new things that occur after. It can be brought on by cranial trauma, stroke, tumor, hypoxia, and alcoholism.
The Brain
This type of amnesia is caused by damage to parts of the brain other than the hippocampus, because long term memories are kept in the synapses of different brain regions. It is most commonly caused by damage to the areas of the brain that are closely related to declarative memory, such as temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex. Sometimes, tracking the exact cause of retrograde amnesia is difficult because of the various possibilities.
Research & Psychologist
Théodule Ribot hypothesized Ribot's Law of retrograde amnesia in 1881. This law states that recent memories are more likely to be lost than the older memories because it is time gradient. This happens because the brain stores more recent memories different than it stores distant memories.
Scott Bolzan's "Life Deleted"
Former NFL player, Scott Bolzan developed retrograde amnesia shortly after arriving at him Phoenix office during a trip to the restroom. While in the restroom, Bolzan slipped on some wet cleaning oil and landed on his head, causing severe brain damage. When at the hospital, Bolzan couldn't remember who he was, who his wife was, or even what the word wife meant. After the event, Scott Bolzan and his wife had to start over again as husband and wife. They decided to write memoir about their experience, called "My Life Deleted". With lots of support from his friends and family, Scott Bolzan was able to rebuild his life through pictures and stories.