HM: Milner (1966)

• Aim

  • To determine the exact extent of HM’s brain damage following his surgery and investigate the role of the hippocampus in memory formation.
• Research Method

  Case study using neuroimaging technology (MRI).
• Procedure

  • HM, a patient with severe anterograde amnesia, underwent an MRI scan to assess the brain damage caused by the removal of his medial temporal lobes.
  • MRI scans provided a detailed image of HM’s brain structure.
• Results

  • The MRI revealed severe damage to the hippocampus and surrounding areas of the medial temporal lobe.
  • Damage was less extensive than previously thought, but still significant enough to explain HM’s memory deficits.
• Conclusion

  • The hippocampus plays a crucial role in the transfer of short-term memory to long-term memory.
  • Damage to this area leads to anterograde amnesia, preventing the formation of new explicit memories.
• Link to MRI as a Technique to Study the Brain and Behavior

  • MRI allowed researchers to visually confirm the brain structures affected by HM’s surgery.
  • Helped support the localization of function theory by linking memory deficits to hippocampal damage.
  • Demonstrated how modern brain imaging techniques can provide insights into brain structure and its relationship with behavior.