Man unable to create new memories after dental appointment 10 yrs. ago

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MMarston

Was getting caught part of your plan?
....and, apart from maybe something related to proteins and the nervous system, nobody can exactly figure out why.

A British man lost the ability to create new memories after going to the dentist for a routine root canal, according to a recently published study. Notes from this "astonishing" case were recently published in the journal Neurocase.

After undergoing a root canal procedure in March, 2005, the 38-year-old man lost the ability to remember anything beyond 90 minutes, meaning he can't make any new memories, the University of Leicester said in a statement. Each morning, the man wakes up believing it is the same day in 2005 that he went to the dentist.

Gerald Burgess, the study's lead author and lecturer at university, said his team has "never seen anything like it before." The man was referred to Burgess as a patient almost 10 years ago, when Burgess was working as a clinical psychologist. Throughout the study the patient is referred to as “WO.”

The year of the procedure, WO was a member of the U.K. military and was stationed in Germany. He had joined the army at the age of 17, served in the first Gulf War, and married at the age of 22. He and his wife have two children, the study said.
Click to expand...

Eventually WO and his family moved back to his childhood home in the U.K. According to the study, he recognizes his home, places in his hometown and the general geography of the town. However, he still wakes up every day believing that it's the same day of the appointment.

"In general, each morning he is surprised to wake up in his mother's house. He wakes up believing that he should still be in the military, stationed abroad," the study said. "Every day he thinks it is the day of the dental appointment."

According to the study, WO can still recall events that happened in his life up to the day of the root canal. He can even remember receiving the anesthetic and the moment the dentist began drilling. But anything that has happened to him since, he can only retain in his memory for about 90 minutes. Now, WO relies on the help of his wife and an electronic diary to keep track of his daily activities.

While his wife reports "subtle differences" in his personality, including becoming more easily frustrated and intolerant, WO is aware of his own identity and that of his family, the study said. (He expects, however, everyone to still be the age they were in 2005).

The study added that WO is aware that he has a memory problem, but requires his wife to answer questions about events that have happened since March, 2005.
Click to expand...

Now, Burgess is appealing for anyone with knowledge of similar cases to contact him so he can further investigate. This is why he published the case notes, he said.

"One of our reasons for writing up this individual’s case was that we had never seen anything like this before in our assessment clinics, and we do not know what to make of it, but felt an honest reporting of the facts as we assessed them was warranted, that perhaps there will be other cases, or people who know more than we do about what might have caused the patient’s amnesia," he said in a statement.

He stressed that at this time it would be "unethical" to blame the anesthetic or root canal for the memory loss.
Click to expand...

Source


Write me down as the John G. if old.
 
This is a) like Merlin sickness girl from Hyperion (/tear) b) like Liz Lemon's brother (/lol). The brain is crazy though.
 
Crazy. Must be hard to go trough the same realization every morning.

This is one of those things that seems so basic to us that it is impossible to comprehend.
 
Damn, Trauma Induced Nivea Aphasia is a hell of a thing.
 
30-rock-ludachristmas-andy-richter.jpg
 
Burger_Baron said:
Crazy. Must be hard to go trough the same realization every morning.
Click to expand...

Just imagine being one of the family members taking care of them though.

I know they have an electronic diary they can use according to the story, but can you imagine having to explain the whole shebang every 90 or so minutes?
 
MMarston said:
Just imagine being one of the family members taking care of them though.

I know they have an electronic diary they can use according to the story, but can you imagine having to explain the whole shebang every 90 or so minutes?
Click to expand...

:(
 
fuzzyset said:
This is a) like Merlin sickness girl from Hyperion (/tear) .
Click to expand...

Only time I've ever cried from reading. And as an adult.

Sucks for him and his family. If it's anything like the story in hyperion it is going to be horrible to deal with. What happens if his wife or parents die. Having to learn that every day he wakes up.
 
I wonder what would happen if he repeated the events of that day over again down to the last detail. Like they would set everything up so that he would go to the dentist, put him in the chair, and anesthetize him. Kind of like retracing your steps.
 
I think a documentary on this guy would be fascinating.

But that is such a hellish condition to even consider having.
 
This is a terrible thing for him and his family, no doubt. The human brain is a fragile thing, it seems.
 
He stressed that at this time it would be "unethical" to blame the anesthetic or root canal for the memory loss.
Click to expand...

Then call me unethical. The knockout gas is to be blamed (or at least the leading candidate), the human brain can be too fragile
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Pizza Memories as a Kid
2
88
442
Connificent replied
30 years ago we lost Selena.
11
1K
squallheart replied
TMNT the movie released 35 years ago today!
2
51
2K
T8SC replied
A new color has been created
31
529
Redneckerz replied
Tom Holland’s ‘Spider-Man 4’ Gets Official Title, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ Ahead of Summer Filming
42
1K
Fbh replied
Top Bottom