Remembering: What 50 Years of Research with Famous Amnesia Patient H.M. Can Teach Us about Memory and How it Works

by Donald G. MacKay

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.

Remembering is about an ordinary man who 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. MacKay worked with Henry for fifty years. His 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. Rememberingsummarizes other results of the revolution in scientific understanding of mind and memory that began with Henry. Importantly, however, it makes good on the promise that research with Henry would "help others." Its primary focus is 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. 

Written in an accessible style, this engaging story combines insights into Henry's personal psychology with important new findings about memory and the brain.

Genres: Psychology, Neuroscience, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

Published January 22, 2019

Reviews

[Sean Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remembering is lucid, lively, and immensely enjoyable. It’s packed with undiluted science – it depicts not just theories and experiments, but also intriguing details of the interpersonal struggles and hardships that are hidden from public view, yet are as much a part of the history of science as of any other human endeavor. As a young researcher, I found these anecdotes particularly illuminating.

Remembering is also surprisingly touching. MacKay’s relationship with Henry clearly left a deep emotional impression on him, and this bond provides rich color to the descriptions of the many experiments that Henry underwent. In the hands of another author, an accurate account of Henry’s profound deficits might come out cold and clinical. But while MacKay doesn’t gloss over Henry’s truly diminished experience, he remains fully conscientious of Henry’s dignity, his sense of purpose, and his humanity. Thus, “Remembering” is a fitting title for this moving scientific portrait of Henry, and the book a fitting eulogy for a famous patient who devoted his life to arduous experimentation with the promise that what he could provide would help others.


Read my full review on Knowing Neurons!

[Goog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great insight into how the brain works, as well as how crucial memory is for essential tasks such as speech, through the insight gained from studying amnesia patient H.M.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifty years ago, a young man by the name of Henry Moliason was suffering from severe episodes of seizures due to epilepsy. With this occurring during the 1960s, we must remember that technology and scientific findings weren’t as advanced back then. In order to correct his life- threatening health issue, doctors recommended brain surgery as his only option. What seemed like a sure-thing to the doctors quickly turned into a major problem for Moliason. With a destroyed hippocampus from the procedure, he could no longer create or sustain new memories. From that point on, he became known as the infamous Patient H.M., and dedicated the rest of his life to helping others through extensive testing on his amnesia. While the normal human’s brain will start to slow-down and degrade as it ages, Moliason’s brain was showing this degradation at a radical speed. Thanks to his self-less act of goodwill towards his fellow man, the information we now have about the brain and its inner-workings can all be attributed to H.M.
Author Donald G. Mackay, a researcher who worked with H.M. over the years, has provided the world with "Remembering", which provides us with information about H.M., as well as techniques to improve our own memory. Unlike Moliason, the common human may start to forget words, memories, or names due to lack of use or age, but we are able to relearn them, thus strengthening those connections in our brain. Mackay’s work in the research field, as well as his work with "Remembering" was written to inform many people about the importance of reading, staying active, and maintaining a balanced diet, which are all important means of sustaining a healthy and fully-functioning brain. I found this book to be very informative and worth the read for people of any age. Mackay did a fine job of not writing too intellectually for his audience, which sometimes professionals have a tendency of doing. I also loved the idea of including questions for reflection and for testing your memory (with page numbers for the answers) as another means of “exercising” your brain.