Auto-biographical memory

The ability to use the memory is derived from a sense of self. It’s roughly explained in this video.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMxkFd4PdWk

A clever test on some 5 year olds also covers a guy who can’t remember most things, a lot like me.

Part 2 of the documentary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZhQFaB1YUk&NR=1

Featured around the guy who cannot remember his past or imagine a future, and apparently during tests it was noted that imaging a future and remembering the past are the same thing! The man in question had to write down everything so that when he eventually forgot what he was doing he had a safety rope in the diary, he could recall messages from his past self and become clear just what it is he is doing or has to do. Much like my project about restoring and preserving memory, his diary is a mental body extension of his mind much like the hard drive is for me in my project. Basically, he is following the methodology that I placed myself in this project, use the external body enhancement to help remember the events of the past etc. It was interesting, because apparently you call from past memories and with added judgement we create an image of a possible future, but if like me, you don't have a complete past, are your preconceptions of the future edited or even censored? With bits missing are you really guessing the future or just re-manipulating the past?

Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xu2zcc07UQ&NR=1

Part three focuses on a young lady who has suffered severe emotional distress, to the point where she cannot remove the embedded memory of a sexual attack. She is given a drug which will suppress that specific memory by slowing down the production of the proteins that help re-connect the memory. Freud talked about the idea of memory always existing but this is not entirely true, because recently scientists had discovered that the neurological connectors actually de-attach after the initial memory, they are however ply able enough for a reconnection and thus the memory is restored, but if the memory has no trigger it cannot automatically re-connect, and then the memory is lost deep inside the mind. I often wondered if this might be the reason for me never remembering things I deem with little importance, I can drive back from Norwich, many times, and never remember a single thing about the trip. If nothing memorable happens I do not remember it, I can't even prove that I came back the normal route, because I have no re-collection of the event. Is this in essence, again censorship or just the brain editing events?

Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoDDiSYtYYM&feature=related

This section Covers the aging of the brain, and the understanding of why we lose memory capacity and why we slow down. As the brain ages, the quality and frequency of the blood supplied to the brain is reduced causing the white matter brain connectors to become unused and die off, with them the changes of the memory lost ever coming back, at the end of this section it begins to deal with something personal to me, Alzheimer's.

Part 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUMpVQF0GXw&feature=related

The last part is about the man coping with Alzheimer's, and follows some aspects of his life, with a few opinions thrown in. The very end posed an interesting thought, when you die, your brain collapses and releases every memory, thought and experience all in one, this brief euphoria is probably our parting gift before we cease to exist. Some might have confused such euphoria as a sign of an afterlife, a place where are souls live onwards, I do not share this view, I believe that once you’re dead there is a nothingness for unlimited eons, this time that will pass is not noticed of recorded, as a matter of fact I believe that it is the absolute of nothing, no feeling, depth of time, or understanding, we will just cease to exist. For some, this is a scary prospect, a feeling without belonging. But for me this is the greatest gift, it is the ultimate freedom and release form a world of happiness and pain. A good documentary, I never knew about the aging of the brain, this pushes me to create this piece more so than I originally thought, there is a possibility of me getting Alzheimer's, so it will be worth it in the future.