Henry Molaison Case Study: Brain Injury
Case Study: Brain Injury
Brain Damage/Injury refers to the “destruction or degeneration of brain cells”. This could be caused by many different factors. For example, traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when an external force damages the brain like accidents, neurosurgery, etc. The famous patient HM, was widely studied by scientists and students in psychology.
Henry Molaison (HM)
Henry Molaison, famously HM, experienced numerous epileptic seizures for many years of his life. This has been linked to a bicycle accident when he was 7.
In 1953, Molaison underwent a brain surgery for treatment. Hartford neurosurgeon, Dr. William Beecher Scoville removed most of the hippocampus in his brain. This successfully reduced Molaison’s seizures.
However, it was only later when Dr. Wilder Penfield (neurosurgeon) and Dr. Brenda Milner (neuropsychologist) assessed him after his surgery, that scientists found that the hippocampus was needed …show more content…
It was only on his death in December 2, 2008 (aged 82) when his real name was publicised.
In addition to his participation in scientific testings and the release of his recorded interviews, his brain was sent to UC San Diego where it was later dissected into around 2000 slices, for future studies. By 2014, his brain was 3D reconstructed.
The study of HM’s case has highly contributed to science, especially in neuroscience and psychology. His condition provided further support for medical studies like amnesia, motor skill learning, spatial memory, and memory consolidation.
Despite his condition, Henry Molaison is described to be a friendly, intelligent and optimistic patient, saying: “What they find out about me helps them to help other people.”
Some notable films portray the consequences of brain damage. ‘Momento’ (2000) shows a protagonist with anterograde amnesia. A 2004 film called ‘50 First Dates’ deals with short-term memory
Brain Damage/Injury refers to the “destruction or degeneration of brain cells”. This could be caused by many different factors. For example, traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when an external force damages the brain like accidents, neurosurgery, etc. The famous patient HM, was widely studied by scientists and students in psychology.
Henry Molaison (HM)
Henry Molaison, famously HM, experienced numerous epileptic seizures for many years of his life. This has been linked to a bicycle accident when he was 7.
In 1953, Molaison underwent a brain surgery for treatment. Hartford neurosurgeon, Dr. William Beecher Scoville removed most of the hippocampus in his brain. This successfully reduced Molaison’s seizures.
However, it was only later when Dr. Wilder Penfield (neurosurgeon) and Dr. Brenda Milner (neuropsychologist) assessed him after his surgery, that scientists found that the hippocampus was needed …show more content…
It was only on his death in December 2, 2008 (aged 82) when his real name was publicised.
In addition to his participation in scientific testings and the release of his recorded interviews, his brain was sent to UC San Diego where it was later dissected into around 2000 slices, for future studies. By 2014, his brain was 3D reconstructed.
The study of HM’s case has highly contributed to science, especially in neuroscience and psychology. His condition provided further support for medical studies like amnesia, motor skill learning, spatial memory, and memory consolidation.
Despite his condition, Henry Molaison is described to be a friendly, intelligent and optimistic patient, saying: “What they find out about me helps them to help other people.”
Some notable films portray the consequences of brain damage. ‘Momento’ (2000) shows a protagonist with anterograde amnesia. A 2004 film called ‘50 First Dates’ deals with short-term memory