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

5.3K
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...
5.3K
Role of Hippocampus in Memory01:19

Role of Hippocampus in Memory

248
The hippocampus, a critical brain structure, plays an essential role in memory processing, particularly in the formation and retrieval of memory. This small, seahorse-shaped region is located within the medial temporal lobe, with one hippocampus in each brain hemisphere. Experimental studies involving lesions in the hippocampi of rats have demonstrated significant impairments in tasks such as object recognition and maze navigation, indicating the hippocampus involvement in both recognition and...
248
Flashbulb Memory01:16

Flashbulb Memory

78
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...
78
Traumatic Memory01:20

Traumatic Memory

89
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...
89
Explicit Memories01:27

Explicit Memories

137
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...
137
Amnesia01:13

Amnesia

126
Amnesia is a condition marked by long-term memory loss, which impairs the ability to recall past events or create new memories.
The severity and duration of memory loss vary depending on the type and underlying cause. Amnesia is classified into two main types: retrograde and anterograde.
Retrograde amnesia is marked by the loss of memories formed before the onset of the condition. Patients may recall distant past events but often forget those occurring shortly before the incident.
Anterograde...
126

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Sustained attention in dementia with Lewy bodies: a task-based fMRI study.

Frontiers in aging neuroscience·2026
Same author

The role of quantitative susceptibility mapping in dementia with Lewy Bodies.

NeuroImage. Clinical·2026
Same author

Implementing Problem Management Plus (PM+) in Haiti: qualitative study.

BJPsych open·2026
Same author

The effect of Alzheimer's biomarker positivity on neuropsychological networks.

Brain communications·2026
Same author

Organizational principles of the cerebral cortex predict symptoms progression in the Alzheimer's disease spectrum.

NeuroImage·2026
Same author

Biomarkers.

Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association·2025
Same journal

Use and Psychometric Properties of the MoCA in Spain: a Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression.

Neuropsychology review·2026
Same journal

Health Outcomes Following Traumatic Brain Injury: An Umbrella Review.

Neuropsychology review·2026
Same journal

A Systematic Review of Functional Brain Imaging Studies in Neurofibromatosis 1.

Neuropsychology review·2026
Same journal

Editorial March, 2026 Neuropsychology Review.

Neuropsychology review·2026
Same journal

Efficacy of Cognitive Training for Treating Cancer-related Cognitive Impairment: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis by Cognitive Domain.

Neuropsychology review·2026
Same journal

Immersive Virtual Reality in Neuropsychological Assessment of Acquired Brain Injury: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Neuropsychology review·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 2, 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

9.9K

Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM): A Systematic Review.

Jessica Talbot1, Gianmarco Convertino2, Matteo De Marco3

  • 1Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University La Sapienza, Via Degli Apuli, 00185, Rome, Italy. jessica.talbot@uniroma1.it.

Neuropsychology Review
|February 23, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Individuals with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM) possess exceptional recall abilities. This systematic review reveals HSAM is linked to overactive memory networks, not structural brain differences, and resists aging effects.

Keywords:
Autobiographical memoryExceptional memoryHSAMHighly Superior Autobiographical MemoryPRISMASystematic review

More Related Videos

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion
15:57

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Published on: May 4, 2011

16.5K
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

13.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 2, 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

9.9K
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion
15:57

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Published on: May 4, 2011

16.5K
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

13.6K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Memory Research

Background:

  • Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM) is a rare condition characterized by exceptional personal memory recall.
  • Existing research on HSAM employs diverse methodologies, necessitating a consolidated overview.
  • Understanding HSAM's neurocognitive underpinnings has implications for memory-related healthcare and legal contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review and synthesize existing behavioral, neuroanatomical, and functional data on Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM).
  • To address the heterogeneity in methodologies within current HSAM literature.
  • To provide a comprehensive understanding of the cognitive and neural bases of HSAM.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted a systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
  • Included 20 experimental studies that investigated HSAM.
  • Analyzed and collated data on behavioral performance, neuroanatomy, and functional neuroimaging.

Main Results:

  • HSAM is characterized by rapid, detailed, and accurate autobiographical memory recall.
  • Individuals with HSAM appear to be unaffected by the typical aging process on memory.
  • Functional neuroimaging reveals overactivation in typical autobiographical memory networks during HSAM retrieval, particularly in posterior visual areas.
  • No significant structural neuroanatomical differences were found, but altered hippocampal resting-state connectivity was common.

Conclusions:

  • HSAM is associated with distinct functional brain activity patterns rather than structural anomalies.
  • The findings contribute to understanding memory encoding, consolidation, and retrieval processes.
  • Future research should further explore the neurocognitive mechanisms and theoretical frameworks of HSAM.