AP PSYCH Case study H.M

Henry Gustav Molaison

what is Patient H.M’s real name

he had epilepsy. they removed large portions of his hippocampus and amygdala

why did H.M undergo surgery and what did they remove

anterograde amnesia

losing the ability too form man types of new memories

retrograde amnesia

what kind of amnesia related to hm not remembering anythig for the past 11 years

gave insight to how memory functions and is ornizated; moststudied medical and psych histor case

what is the significance of hm

bicycle accident at 10 years old

what caused hm’s seizures

27

how old was hm when he undergoed surgery

brain resection surgery

removing small protions of brain tissue repsonsible for cuasings eizures

“like waking from a dream…. every day is alone in itself” (

what did HM say his days were like

December 2, 2008, at the age of 82,

when did hm die

“partial medial temporal lobe resection”

what was involved in the surgery

8 cm

how much brain tissue was removed from hm’s hippocampus

Neurosurgeon William Beecher Scoville performed H.M.’s surgery in Hartford, Connecticut, in August 1953

who perfromed hm’s surgery and where

destroyed parts of the “uncus” (theorized to play a role in the sense of smell and forming new memories) and the “amygdala” (theorized to play a crucial role in controlling our emotional responses such as fear and sadness).

what do rsearchers theorize happened

LTM 'explicit’ —> requires conscious thinking

what kind of memories did hm miss in his new life

what happ in famous star tracing task

donated it and it was slicedinto 2401 slices and individually photographed and dgitized into a 3 dinmensional map

what happ o hm’s brain after death