Image of the Day

The images that appear in the "Image of the Day" are selected for the freshness of their views on Brain Mapping, their esthetic appeal, their quirkiness, or someimes just to prod you into thinking about the field and its context. Their appearance here is not an endorsement of their subject matter.

H.M. dies at 82 Henry Gustav Molaison, known to the science community as H.M. passed away today (December 4th, 2008) due to respiratory failure. H.M. will forever be remembered for his immeasurable contribution to our understanding of the brain and memory. On september 5, 1953 H.M. underwent medial temporal lobe surgery for the treatment of intractable epilepsy. In the following months H.M.'s seizures resolved, but curiously he was left with anterograde amnesia; leaving unable to form new long-term memories. In the following years, up until this past week scientist have continuously studied H.M. attempting to better understand how memories are formed and retrieved. Specifically, work with H.M. has helped us understand the brain's declarative versus working memory systems. Even more importantly, H.M. will be remembered for his kindness and wiliness to act as a research subject for the advancement of science.

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Submitted by: Mark Cohen