Not being able to forget anything: What is hyperthymesia?

You may remember what you ate on Tuesday last week, or the week before that. So, can you remember a meal you ate in your childhood? Although the answer is “no” for most of us, people with hyperthymesia answer “yes” to this question. When you say it like this, “What is hyperthymesia?” If you are wondering, let’s get into the subject right away and explain every detail, from hyperthymesia symptoms to its treatment, in a way that you will read with astonishment.

hyperthymesia, it’s like having a time machine. Going back to the past and reviving every memory and detail experienced.What is hyperthymesia?” may be the shortest answer to the question.

What we say may seem like a dream for some of us, but people with hyperthymesia For us, this situation is a daily reality. We think you are aware of how special this is, in fact, it is so special that you will realize that it is even more interesting when you hear how many people in the world have it. Then, let’s move on to the details of hyperthymesia without making you even more curious.

What is hyperthymesia?

Hyperthymestic syndrome or highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM)Definitions of hyperthymesia in medical language. Hyperthymesia causes people to be unable to recall memories in abnormally high detail.

Those who remember almost every day in perfect diary-like detail remember not only personal but also public events. These people, every day like a detailed report They record it in their brains and remember many things, including what they had for breakfast.

Moreover, all this information comes suddenly as soon as it is asked, as if they suddenly took out the folder related to the question from their archives and never They answer without hesitation.

How many people have hyperthymesia?

What causes hyperthymesia?

This situation is not rare, it is actually extraordinarily rare. As of 2021, only 62 people diagnosis of hyperthymesia placed.

What causes hyperthymesia? The brain full of unknowns appears here too.

amygdala

Of course the mastermind, who else would it be? Although the mystery of hyperthymesia has not yet been fully revealed, brain structure and activity level, It may differ in people with hyperthymesia.

The part of the brain responsible for memory processing, which is concerned with emotions, such as the creation of memories associated with positive and negative emotional experiences amygdala hyperthymesia It’s different in people who have it. Studies show that the right amygdala of people with hyperthymesia appears larger.

Responsible for learning and memory formation regarding daily events such as date and place hippocampus It also establishes an improved connection with the amygdala in the brains of these people. Additionally, when compared to people without hyperthymesia, those with hyperthymesia experience more brain activity. This means the brain can send and receive more signals.

How to understand hyperthymesia?

Diagnosis of hyperthymesia

As you can guess, the symptoms of hyperthymesia include remembering things that not everyone can remember. Alright How do you know if you have hyperthymesia? Of course, you may remember many things, but some scans are performed to diagnose hyperthymesia.

It is not possible to say just one thing about the hyperthymesia test. To determine whether there is hyperthymesia or not, people memory test, cognitive test, It is passed through stages such as interviews and magnetic resonance imaging.

After a series of interviews with experts on the subject, such as neurologists and psychologists, diagnosis of hyperthymesia can be placed.

The first person to be diagnosed with hyperthymesia was Jill Price.

Symptom of hyperthymesia

Jill Price, who had HSAM, was exposed in the early 2000s. Price emailed Neuroscientist and Memory Researcher Jim McGaugh and since age 12 He said he remembers every day of his life.

The doctor was intrigued by this email and invited her to his lab to test it. A date was given in the test and what happened in the world that day He was asked to explain. The answers given by Price were correct.

Price actually confirmed his memories with the diary he kept. Over the course of several years, Price was subjected to certain tests. Afterwards, they decided to give him a random test and Dates of the days he visited the laboratory was requested. Price said all the visit dates and guess what the result was? Of course it was true. Price had quoted all the dates correctly.

price first person with hyperthymesia It also attracted great attention from the media. Thereupon, several dozen more people took tests saying they had hyperthymesia.

What are the harms of hyperthymesia?

Harms of hyperthymesia

When you think about it, hyperthymesia may seem like a wonderful thing. After all, forget about remembering someone’s birthday. all the beautiful memories you had You remember it like it was yesterday, with all the details.

According to the research hyperthymesia disadvantages This is also a situation. As we said above, although remembering the good things makes you happy, imagine remembering the bad memories too!

In this case, those who actually have hyperthymesia are from negative events can be greatly affected.

Is there a treatment for hyperthymesia?

Hyperthymesia treatment

There is no specific treatment for hyperthymesia because the condition is not generally considered a disease. However, when we talk about the harms of hyperthymesia, we try to cope with the difficulties. psychological support Taking it can be useful.

Mind-calming techniques such as mindfulness and therapy can help reduce stress caused by intense memories of the past. deal with stress It can also be effective in getting out. In addition, memory management techniques and methods of organizing details can be added to other methods that can help individuals with hyperthymesia.

If you don’t have hyperthymesia but want to strengthen your memory, there are some things you can do.

memory enhancement

“How to improve hyperthymesia?” Since there is no answer to the question, we think that we may not be a person with hyperthymesia now, but we can make our memory stronger. To prevent memory loss and strengthen memory There are some things you can do for:

  • Solving puzzles and playing games to strengthen the brain
  • Connecting with friends
  • learn new things
  • Staying away from smoking and alcohol
  • Consuming foods with high nutritional value
  • Staying away from processed foods and sugar
  • Getting enough quality sleep
  • Limiting distractions
  • Improving focus techniques
  • engaging in physical activities
  • Provide stress management

Every individual is unique, and hyperthymesia is one of those unique experiences.

patient with hyperthymesia

We are sure that it will be an interesting content for those who hear about hyperthymesia, one of the examples of the complexity of the human mind, for the first time. When I think of those people, their lives may not be so easy because they know that they will remember this day no matter what and make more meaningful They think more about what to do for themselves than we do.

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