Key Study Sheet
Area of Psychology: Biological Psychology
Title of Study: A case study of brain damage and amnesia
Researchers: Oliver Sacks (The case was documented by
Sacks in the in his New York Times Article – but several
researchers involved in collecting the data)
Year: 2007
Aims: To examine the effects of brain damage on memory – Clive Wearing
Procedures:
The Case Study Method: Through a combination of qualitative and
quantitative methodologies to get rich data about this unique case of
amnesia.
Quantitative Methodology:
-MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) -brain imaging technology has allowed
research to identify the specific structures in Clive’s brain which are
damaged – this can then be correlated with the data from the other research
methods.
-Psychological Testing- by Dr. Wilson to determine the extent of Clive’s
Amnesia and how it affects his semantic and episodic memory or explicit
memory. E.g. through showing him pictures and has him then pick out the
picture he just saw from a group of pictures. They could also find out the
duration of Clive’s explicit memory.
Qualitative Methodology:
-Interviews - unstructured interviews with Clive’s wife Deborah Wearing,
she gives and account of his condition and explains how he greets her every
time he sees her and how he talks about his condition – e.g. the analogy he
used of ‘having just woken up’ and the reasons why he need to keep a diary to assert his identity and make a note of the momentous occasion of having
‘just woken up for the first time’.
-Observations – The observations of Dr. Oddy and Deborah Wearing at the
Brain Rehabilitation Centre of Clive’s behaviour and the best activities to
engage Clive in to stop him talking about his condition (eg. Playing the
piano or Scrabble) and how to engage him in conversation e.g. don’t ask
‘how are you today Clive?’ –this gives insight into his memory impairments.
Findings & Conclusions:
Quantitative Methodology:
-MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) -scans have shown damage to frontal
and temporal regions, but particularly to the Hippocampus a brain structure
in the Limbic System where the functions of memory and learning are
localized. This was caused by the Herpes Simplex virus in 1985. MRI helps
us to understand that the transfer of information from STM to LTM is
connected to the Hippocampus (v. important in explicit memory).
-Psychological Testing -by Dr. Wilson has determined that Clive has one of
the most severe cases of amnesia ever seen, he has both anterograde (he
cannot lay down new long term memories after the trauma) and retrograde
amnesia (losses in his general knowledge and his understanding of when
things have happened have also occurred – semantic & episodic memory).
This can is then interpreted in light of the MRI data showing damage to his
Hippocampus.
Qualitative Methodology:
-Interviews & Observations– Give us insight into how as a memory as a
whole is a distributed system and not all localized to the hippocampus –
Clive is able to play the piano, which suggests that the areas of the brain
related to procedural memory (the Cerebellum) is intact. Also Clive has a
strong emotional response every time he sees his wife suggesting that
emotional memory (related to the Amygdala) is also not impaired.
Procedural and emotional memory is known as implicit memory.
Conclusion – This case study clearly demonstrates the localization of the
function of memory – explicit memory (semantic & episodic) & the
consolidation of new long term memories related to the Hippocampus.
Implicit procedural memories – such as playing music (related to the
Cerebellum) and emotional memory of his wife (Amygdala) are not affected
by the damage.