Photographic Memory

Eidetic Memory (Photographic Memory)

Greek word ε δος (pronounced [êːdos], eidos, "seen") 

Yes… this is the stuff of dreams… If you could remember things with little or no effort, can you imagine the potential?

Well there is such a thing and it is known as Eidetic memory, although extremely rare. It is most commonly seen in children and adolescents.  These abilities are less commonly seen in adults

Eidetic Memory seems to be unrelated to cognitive, emotional or neurological abilities as such.

 It is thought that eidetic memory is stored in the medial portion of the temporal lobe and the hippocampus as well as the mammillary bodies of the limbic lobe (Von Papez Circuit). Images persist undistorted in the memory for days or even years and can be recollected with vivid accuracy. The active neuro-chemical substance in the mammillary bodies is oxytocin, which has a variety of other physiological effects.

Eidetic memory is one of many types of memory and is often confused with mnemonic memory, which differs in that it uses mental association devices to create recollection of the object in question, such as names, rhymes, lists, etc . A simple example of a mnemonic device is an acronym.  Eidetic memory acts more like an emblem of the image seen, thus the term “photographic”.

Due to the neuroplasticity of the brain, we now know that photographic memory can be induced, developed or improved in the normal brain through exercises of the mind.  Repetition and practice is key to this process.

LIMBIC LOBE ANATOMY

                                                Courtesy of Wikipedia


Here is an example of Eidetic Memory in a young man who was diagnosed with autism and is able to not only recall images "photographically", but also draw them beautifully hours later.
His name is Stephen Wiltshire 






Below are a few links to test your photographic memory and to help develop it with practice

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/psychology/take-the-photographic-memory-test

http://www.photographicmemorygame.com

http://www.lumosity.com

1. Wikipedia Wikimedia Foundation, 25 May 2014. Web. 27 May 2014.

2. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/180955/eidetic-image

3. Stromeyer, C. F., Psotka, J. (1970). "The detailed texture of eidetic images". Nature 225 (5230): 346–349. doi:10.1038/225346a0. PMID 5411116.

4.http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7176716

5. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/i-developed-what-appears-to-be-a-ph/

Contact Juggling and Brain Physiology

The following is a charming example of the cerebral coordination that takes place when a complex set of movements occurs in the form of a synchronized symphony within the brain. This particular example is a man performing what is known as “contact juggling”

Planning for these rehearsed and learned movements occurs in the postfrontal or pre-Rolandic areas of the brain where the rehearsed and learned movements are stored.

Execution of these movements emanates for its final execution, from the motor cortex, also called “Rolandic area of the brain cortex”.



 Courtesy of
Credits: lindzeetryo
Music by: Yan Tiersen
Source: trueactivist.com

During the process of learning complex coordinated motions with trial an error, require storage in the memory. This memory is mechanical and sequential memory, which is stored in the parietal lobe and filtered and perhaps corrected by the cerebellum.

Even the act of hesitation in physiology is a complex process.

When there is hesitation to execute a motion, there is an intervention of the visual pathways, as well as the visual cortex of the brain, located in the medial (internal) portion of the back of the brain on both sides.

This connects to the planning area of the parietal cortex (situated behind the Rolandic or motor area) thus, inhibiting a possible erroneous, or a perilous movement,

(function of the planning area of the parietal lobe).

Fine tuned coordination between sight and the cerebellum block the descending stimulus to the thalamus. For example when you are going to grab something, if  you were to  see a snake …. Or that the object you are trying to grab is red hot…and you suspect or feel such temperature in forehand.

                                              Courtesy of Wikipedia 

These delicate and coordinated movements can be seen in the functional MRI of trained subjects. Functional MRI, is still equivocal when it comes to visualizing the intra-cerebellar, connections and functions. Conversely, the pathways of the brain (as opposed to the cerebellum) itself have been thoroughly analyzed.

 It is able to visualize vascular changes that occur in different parts of the brain as these portions increase in their function and consequently oxygen consumption, and vascular changes in blood supply. Another study that provides useful physiologic information is the PET (positron emission tomography). 

The cerebellum regulates the tone of the muscles, and its coordination to achieve “accurate” or perfect movements, by means of coordination, of the crude signals coming from the Thalamus above.

The neural pathways are still a mystery that is slowly unfolding

Evolutionarily, the outer layers of the cortex, in the cerebellum, are the latest to appear in the history of the “new parts” of such organ (neo-cerebellum).

Conclusion:

The topic of brain function is fascinating and still a fertile field of study and improvement. We are but scratching the surface of what is the function and potential of our brains.  Complex sets of motion such as the one seen in the Jugglers video are more mundane than we would guess. We use the same parts of the brain for functions, such as driving, cooking, walking and jogging.  The key to higher motor skills and coordination lies in consistent practice and repetition.

There are no limits.

*Positron emission scan begins by giving an IV of a marked isotope of the glucose (radioactive), which then is take up by cells in the brain that are functioning at the moment of study (active cells).  A special helmet worn by the patient that bears thousands of sodium iodine crystals that pick up the emission off positive electrons emitted by the crystal that captures the positive electron.Within the Sodium Iodine, 2 photons are produced that shoot in opposite directions and are visualized on the image reconstruction computer.

Guest Blogger

Rafael G. Magana Santos  M.D. FRCS (Ed). Neurosciences and Neurosurgery.

Alzheimer's disease and Memory

Alzheimers and Memory

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), originally described by Alois Alzheimer in 1906, is a chronic degenerative disease, which is progressive. The cause is unknown until now. It is the most common form of dementia in the US, followed by vascular or senile dementia.  Symptoms may appear as early as the sixth decade and more commonly at 85 years of age onward.

The hallmarks of AD are:

-Forgetfulness; places, dates, circumstances. As it progresses, this can extend to persons, faces, names and the main characteristic is that the patient who suffers the disease doesn’t realize that this is occurring. Victims of AD usually don’t try to recall except for the in the beginning of the disease.  Other manifestations include changes in behavior and mood swings.

The phases of AD are divided into

Pre-dementia, Early, Moderate and Advanced.  The symptoms and mental deterioration progress in each phase.

-AD tends to run in families, but no specific hereditary pattern has been established.

-Another finding is the accumulation of Beta Amylase and neuronal death (brain cells)   around small vessels forming a cobweb pattern (Neurofibrillary tangles) ¹.

Abnormal Phosphorylation of Tau Proteins.

-Normal neurons are substituted by beta amyloid thus decreasing the amount of healthy neurons and Synapsis (Neuron connections).

-Clinical depression is often associated to AD

The Diagnosis should be made by a qualified professional such as Neurologist, General Practitioner, Psychiatrist or other qualified physicians.

Diagnostic tools include

CT Scan (Computed tomography)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

SPECT (Single Photo emission computed tomography)

PET (positron emission tomography)

Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)

Psychometric exams such as the mini-mental state exam MMSE

Biopsy (most specific but impractical and rarely done)

Spinal Tap with measurement of Beta Amyloid and Tau protein in both its Phosphorylated and non phosphorylated forms yield a sensitivity of >94% for establishing the onset of AD³

Once diagnosed, AD has no cure currently as such. However, several substances have been found to be useful in slowing progression of the disease, mainly by increasing the production of a substance that connects one neuron with the neighboring neurons known Acetylcholine (Ach). 

Amongst these substances are:

-Donepezil Hcl

-Tacrine

-Galantamine

-Rivastigmine (Exelon)

-Selegiline

-Memantine

The combination of the above mentioned, depends on the patient and the stage of the disease as well as the age of presentation. These medications, in general, help to preserve or increase the availability of Ach from the decreasing number of Ach producing Neurons.

Only Donepezil is approved for the advanced form of Alzheimer’s disease.

Mematine blocks receptors (NMDA) on which Glutamate works. In theory, this decreases neuronal death due to overexciting the glutamate receptors, slowing the process of mental decline.

Adjuvant supplements include:

-Nifedipine  (Unknown Mechanism of action)

-Statins ¹ (eg. Lipitor, Crestor)

-Pentoxyphiline (Trental)

- Haloperidol  (Haldol)

-Sodium Valproate

* The aforementioned medications work as palliative medications, but their mechanism of action is not fully understood.

Methods to decrease forgetfulness in Alzheimer’s disease.

-Intellectual exercises that is unrelated to their original career or occupation.

-Scrabble

-Monopoly

-Chess

-Sudoku

-Cross word puzzles

-N-Back test

-Counting back wards in 7’s or 4’s from 200

-Simple Math problems in general without paper and pencil

-Change in daily routine

-Supplements such as a combination of Huperzine and Gingko⁵ as found in supplements MC2

-Listening to classical music

*Always consult with your physician if you have queries or doubts regarding decreasing or loss of memory.

Click Here and see what MC²  can

do for your memory

Bibliography

1. -"Neurofibrillary Tangles." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Feb. 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.

2. - Landes AM, Sperry SD, Strauss ME, Geldmacher DS. Apathy in Alzheimer's Disease. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2001;49(12):1700–7. doi:10.1046/j.1532-5415.2001.49282.x. PMID 11844006.

3. - De Meyer G, Shapiro F, Vanderstichele H, Vanmechelen E, Engelborghs S, De Deyn PP, Coart E, Hansson O, Minthon L, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Shaw L, Trojanowski JQ. Diagnosis-Independent Alzheimer Disease Biomarker Signature in Cognitively Normal Elderly People. Arch Neurol.. 2010;67(8):949–56. doi:10.1001/archneurol.2010.179. PMID 20697045.

4.- Li J, Wu HM, Zhou RL, Liu GJ, Dong BR (2008). "Huperzine A for Alzheimer's disease". In Wu, Hong Mei. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2): CD005592. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005592.pub2. PMID 18425924.

 5.- Yaari, Roy, MD, and Jody C. Bloom, MD,PhD. "Medscape Log In." Medscape Log In. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.