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Routes to remembering: the brains behind superior memory

Routes to remembering: the brains behind superior memory
Routes to remembering: the brains behind superior memory
Why do some people have superior memory capabilities? We addressed this age-old question by examining individuals renowned for outstanding memory feats in forums such as the World Memory Championships. Using neuropsychological measures, as well as structural and functional brain imaging, we found that superior memory was not driven by exceptional intellectual ability or structural brain differences. Rather, we found that superior memorizers used a spatial learning strategy, engaging brain regions such as the hippocampus that are critical for memory and for spatial memory in particular. These results illustrate how functional neuroimaging might prove valuable in delineating the neural substrates of mnemonic techniques, which could broaden the scope for memory improvement in the general population and the memory-impaired
1097-6256
90-95
Maguire, Eleanor A.
09468747-daac-4a6c-b472-f78010f93161
Valentine, Elizabeth R.
fb4d7711-d51f-47ab-81dc-3e909c4cccc2
Wilding, John M.
182f0cd5-6c5b-4567-9035-9f6be52332e5
Kapur, Narinder
9ea5d758-bba6-4bc9-be6b-b056c0c83d9d
Maguire, Eleanor A.
09468747-daac-4a6c-b472-f78010f93161
Valentine, Elizabeth R.
fb4d7711-d51f-47ab-81dc-3e909c4cccc2
Wilding, John M.
182f0cd5-6c5b-4567-9035-9f6be52332e5
Kapur, Narinder
9ea5d758-bba6-4bc9-be6b-b056c0c83d9d

Maguire, Eleanor A., Valentine, Elizabeth R., Wilding, John M. and Kapur, Narinder (2003) Routes to remembering: the brains behind superior memory. Nature Neuroscience, 6 (1), 90-95. (doi:10.1038/nn988).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Why do some people have superior memory capabilities? We addressed this age-old question by examining individuals renowned for outstanding memory feats in forums such as the World Memory Championships. Using neuropsychological measures, as well as structural and functional brain imaging, we found that superior memory was not driven by exceptional intellectual ability or structural brain differences. Rather, we found that superior memorizers used a spatial learning strategy, engaging brain regions such as the hippocampus that are critical for memory and for spatial memory in particular. These results illustrate how functional neuroimaging might prove valuable in delineating the neural substrates of mnemonic techniques, which could broaden the scope for memory improvement in the general population and the memory-impaired

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Published date: 2003

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 41054
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/41054
ISSN: 1097-6256
PURE UUID: 5f0425c2-8ca5-468b-8db3-d18f109501c8

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Date deposited: 14 Jul 2006
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 08:24

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Contributors

Author: Eleanor A. Maguire
Author: Elizabeth R. Valentine
Author: John M. Wilding
Author: Narinder Kapur

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