Wednesday 28 August 2024

Human Brains Don't All Operate in the Same Fashion?

What goes on in other people's heads has been a mystery to us all. Lacking direct evidence, we have tended to assume our brains must operate in a common fashion. Science writer Sadie Dingfelder, however, found that her recall mechanism was very different from that of her friends (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/27/sensory-memory-inner-life). Dingfelder explored the situation. She noted that some specialists define two memory mechanisms. Episodic memories are triggered by particular senses, including sight, smell and touch. Semantic memories are a relatively 'dry', recalling of 'facts'. Dingfelder also draws attention to the existence of folk with what's called Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM). HSAMers rely very heavily on episodic memory. They have a profound 'mind's eye', where things they see, trigger graphic recall of previous events. In such individuals, particular smells and touch sensations, can do the same. Other folk are labelled as having Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory (SDAM). SDAMers rely very heavily on sematic memories. So-called 'neurotypical' people, fall on a spectrum between HSAM and SDAM. These extremes are not 'disorders'. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. I, have no 'mind's eye'. I don't have visual dreams and tend to 'live in the present'. Apparently, however, I'm less likely to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder than an HSAMer. I've also encountered what seems like a relatively high incidence of SDAMers in my scientific community. Perhaps we are less susceptible to 'flights of fancy'? Such neuro-variation may be of benefit to the species.

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