Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Autobiographical Memory01:14

Autobiographical Memory

6.0K
Autobiographical memory is a unique type of episodic memory that involves recollecting personal life experiences. It allows individuals to remember significant events from their past, creating a narrative of their lives. One interesting phenomenon related to autobiographical memory is the reminiscence bump. This effect refers to the tendency of adults to recall more events from their second and third decades of life — typically between ages 10 to 30 — than from other periods. This...
6.0K
Eyewitness Memory01:22

Eyewitness Memory

232
Eyewitness memory refers to the recollection of events by someone who has directly witnessed them, often serving as critical evidence in legal settings. This type of memory is commonly used in criminal cases where a witness describes details like a suspect's appearance, clothing, or behavior during a crime. However, despite its perceived reliability, eyewitness memory is prone to significant errors.
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function...
232
Flashbulb Memory01:16

Flashbulb Memory

191
A flashbulb memory is a highly vivid and detailed memory, often linked to events of significant emotional impact. These memories stand out in contrast to everyday memories due to their clarity and the precision with which they are recalled. The strong emotions associated with the event act as a catalyst, ensuring that specific details, such as one's location, actions, and even peripheral elements, are etched into memory with remarkable accuracy. For example, many people can vividly recall...
191
Traumatic Memory01:20

Traumatic Memory

326
Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual...
326
Cognitive Development During Adulthood01:30

Cognitive Development During Adulthood

434
Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...
434
Explicit Memories01:27

Explicit Memories

239
Explicit memories, also known as declarative memories, are consciously remembered, recalled, and reported. Studying for a chemistry exam involves material that will become part of explicit memory. There are two types of explicit memory: episodic and semantic.
Episodic memory contains information about personally experienced events and is reported as a story. An example of episodic memory is recalling a birthday celebration. This type of memory includes the what, where, and when of an event, as...
239

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Coordinating Cognition: The Entorhinal Cortex in Mnemonic, Temporal and Spatial Representation.

Cells·2026
Same author

Anxiolytic and sedative drugs: Sleep modulation and memory implications.

Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry·2026
Same author

Highly superior autobiographical memory in early adolescence: A single case study.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026
Same author

Chronic intranasal URB597 treatment reverts short-term memory deficits in a rat model of metabolic syndrome.

Life sciences·2026
Same author

Caregiver burden of parkinsonian patients with impulse control disorders, depression and apathy.

Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996)·2026
Same author

Modulation of midfrontal theta and posterior alpha during the construction and elaboration of autobiographical memories in individuals with highly superior autobiographical memory.

Neuropsychologia·2026
Same journal

The cognitive construction of moral scenes: Associations of visuospatial ability and impulsivity with perspective and vividness in mental simulation.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026
Same journal

Theta band activity during event-file retrieval is influenced by stimulus salience in the preceding action episode.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026
Same journal

Language recovery in Hungarian speakers with aphasia: Roles of phonology and intraindividual variability.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026
Same journal

Neural and behavioral dissociations of self-focused and other-focused incentives in trust.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026
Same journal

A multiverse analysis of the logical memory test and plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026
Same journal

Reading and writing impairments in Spanish-speaking individuals with primary progressive aphasia: A single-case series study.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 1, 2025

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection
11:30

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Published on: August 26, 2011

10.0K

Highly superior autobiographical memory in aging: A single case study.

Valerio Santangelo1, Tiziana Pedale2, Paola Colucci3

  • 1Dept. of Philosophy, Social Sciences & Education, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy; Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.

Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior
|June 25, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study followed a 75-year-old individual with highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM) for five years. Findings show that exceptional memory abilities can persist without age-related cognitive decline, challenging typical aging models.

Keywords:
AgingAutobiographical memoryEmotionMemory accessMemory relivingfMRI

More Related Videos

Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
11:01

Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

Published on: August 30, 2011

13.8K
Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
06:58

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing

Published on: January 24, 2020

7.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 1, 2025

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection
11:30

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Published on: August 26, 2011

10.0K
Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
11:01

Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

Published on: August 30, 2011

13.8K
Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
06:58

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing

Published on: January 24, 2020

7.5K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Aging is typically associated with cognitive decline, but its effects on individuals with enhanced memory are largely unknown.
  • Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM) is a rare condition characterized by exceptional memory recall.

Observation:

  • A 75-year-old individual (GC) with HSAM was studied over five years.
  • GC demonstrated memory performance significantly exceeding controls and comparable to younger HSAM individuals.
  • GC showed no cognitive decline, personality changes, or brain abnormalities during the study period.

Findings:

  • Functional brain imaging revealed that GC's memory retrieval engaged prefrontal and temporo-parietal networks, similar to younger HSAM individuals.
  • Lower reliving ratings during memory recall suggested a compensatory mechanism in HSAM.
  • Increased insula activity correlated with emotionally positive memories.

Implications:

  • This case study suggests that HSAM can remain stable throughout physiological aging.
  • Findings challenge existing models of autobiographical memory and cognitive aging.
  • Highlights the potential for preserved cognitive function in aging individuals with exceptional memory abilities.