Question

(LTM) There are several types of working and long term memory. An amnesiac like patient HM can't form new long term memories, lacks explicit memory, can relate words like nurse and doctor , has implicit memory, can learn a list of items and repeat it back within a certain time frame. Which of the following types of memory has HM still preserved?

A. Non-declarative LTM, Declarative-Semantic LTM, Declarative-Episodic LTM, Phonological Loop, Central Executive, Visuospatial, Sensory memory
B. Non-declarative LTM, Declarative-Semantic LTM, Phonological Loop, Central Executive, Visuospatial, Sensory memory
C. Non-declarative LTM, Declarative-Semantic LTM, Declarative-Episodic LTM, Phonological Loop, Sensory memory
D. Declarative-Semantic LTM, Declarative-Episodic LTM, Phonological Loop, Central Executive, Visuospatial, Sensory memory

Answer 1

Patient HM retained Non-declarative Long-Term Memory and aspects of Working Memory, including the Phonological Loop and possibly some functions of the Central Executive and the Visuospatial Sketchpad.

Step-by-step explanation:

Patient HM, who had anterograde amnesia following a surgical procedure on his medial temporal lobes, could not form new explicit (declarative) long-term memories, specifically episodic memory. However, HM still retained his short-term memory, and evidenced by the ability to do tasks like repeating a list of items shortly after hearing them, preserves aspects of working memory, such as the phonological loop.

HM also retained his non-declarative (implicit) memory, which includes procedural memory, like learning to perform tasks or solving puzzles, even without the memory of having done these tasks before. Thus, types of memory still preserved include Non-declarative Long-Term Memory, Phonological Loop, and to some extent components of Working Memory (Central Executive, Visuospatial Sketchpad).