An adult patient has a severe case of anterograde amnesia due to a hippocampal injury suffered at age 25. State if (and why) the person can (a) remember childhood events, (b) remember the names of high school classmates by looking at yearbook pictures, (c) remember a story she read in a magazine 30 minutes ago, (d) learn to surf-something that she had never done before-and get better at it each time she goes to the beach, (e) remember learning to surf, (f) state "topcoat" when asked to complete the word fragment "top-" after being primed with that word "topcoat" 30 minutes before the test.

Question

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The Answer is The answer should indicate that (a) Yes; anterograde amnesia involves the inability to form new memories. Existing memories before the hippocampal damage remain intact; (b) Yes; for the same reason as (a); (c) No; new explicit memories cannot be formed; (d) Yes, this is a procedural memory that is not processed in the hippocampus. There is no reason to believe that she could not become an expert surfer; (e) No. Although she will become better and better at surfing, she will perceive that each surfing trip is her first. As she gets better at surfing, she might say things like "I'm a natural surfer, dude. I'm so good at it, and it's only my first time!" even though it is her 100th time surfing; (f) Yes. Priming is an implicit memory not processed in the hippocampus. Interesting, she won't remember seeing the word "topcoat," but she will be primed to report it nonetheless.

An Adult Patient Has a Severe Case of Anterograde Amnesia