Compare And Contrast Memory And Memory Essay

Memory is one of the most vital things in human existence. Memory enables a person to know who they are and shapes how they comprehend the world around them. How knowledge and memories are processed vary from person to person. Some people have incredible memory recall abilities while others are on the other end of that spectrum. Eidetic memory, often confused with photographic memory, is the extremely rare ability to vividly recall an image. Amnesia, on the other hand, has the opposite effect; resulting in memory loss rather than memory retention. Both conditions, despite their differences, are similar in the sense that they are the result of abnormalities in the brain and that they both have distinguishable cognitive effects.

Cognition within the human mind is inextricably linked with memory. Cognition allows for learning to take place, but memory stores the newly learned information so it can be retrieved at a later date. If a person were to completely lose the ability to retain any type of memory, the past would become

Depending on where the brain is damaged, and how badly, a person can be diagnosed with retrograde amnesia, anterograde amnesia, or a combination of both. Memory processing is centralized around the hippocampus which is part of the limbic system that is located in the temporal lobe. The hippocampus helps ensure that short-term memories transfer to long-term memory. (“Parts of the Brain,” 2010) The damage of this part of the brain would result in anterograde amnesia. Retrograde amnesia can result from damage to the areas other than the hippocampus because its function deals with short-term memory rather than long-term memory. (“Retrograde Amnesia,” 2010) Other potential causes include; head trauma, a stroke, a brain tumor, lack of oxygen, excessive alcoholism and drugs, age, and diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Lyme’s or Parkinson’s. (“Causes of Amnesia,”