Long Term Memory Case Study

Long term memory is the final holding place for information that we come across every day. However a lot of this information is lost through decay, ensuring only mostly important and relevant information is kept in the LTM.
Short term memories become long term through attention and rehearsal. There are different models which differ on how this information is passed along. Long term memory can be recalled whenever it is needed.
Long term memories are as a result of more stable and permanent changed in neural connections in the brain. The hippocampus is a temporary holding place for long-term memories, and is not used to store information. However, it is essential for the transportation of information from short-term to long-term memory, and
HM suffered with loss of his long term memory after brain surgery that he underwent to reduce his seizures. He could not remember mostly all of his past experiences like the death of his parents. He was alo unable to remember public events such as the Vietnam War. He was however able to create new memories in his short term memory as this remained intact. He was completely unable to move any memories into his long term memory. Therefore he would forget any new information such as current affairs. Although he could remember a few people that he had met in the past, he could never create new relationships as he would forget their information
In this study there was one control group and three memory retrieval conditions during fMRI scanning. In the Autobiogrphical condition the participants were given cues designed to bring back a personal memory. They then had to relive this memory and rate it according to vividness. The Episodic condition consisted of a question about a photograph. Participants then chose from three answers. The Semantic condition was more of a factual type question. Responses were the same as the episodic condition. In the control condition they were shown a scrambled photograph and given an instructon that was unrelated to the photograph itself. The results found that desprite shared funtional circuitry,each type of declarative retrieval entails processes that are unique to the nature of the retrieved memory. This shows that the long term memory network comprises both shared and unique functional