Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 22, 2026

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory
Published on: August 15, 2010
Replaying the game: hypnagogic images in normals and amnesics
R Stickgold1, A Malia, D Maguire
1Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 74 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA 02115, USA. rstickgold@hms.harvard.edu
Abstract:
Participants playing the computer game Tetris reported intrusive, stereotypical, visual images of the game at sleep onset. Three amnesic patients with extensive bilateral medial temporal lobe damage produced similar hypnagogic reports despite being unable to recall playing the game, suggesting that such imagery may arise without important contribution from the declarative memory system. In addition, control participants reported images from previously played versions of the game, demonstrating that remote memories can influence the images from recent waking experience.
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