One door closes. One door opens.
October 10, 2007 – 9:43 amSo after the talk with the woman (or was it women) in the shower, I did some checking on the term anterograde amnesia.
http://ajdrew.blogs.pagannation.com/2007/10/08/anterograde-amnesia-in-the-shower/
It seems anterograde amnesia does not affect “non-declarative memory”. There are two types of declarative memory: semantic and episodic. These are the types, which I have problem with.
Semantic Memory - Factual knowledge independent of time and place.
Episodic Memory - Theoretical knowledge of a specific moment in time and place.
Now here is the really cool part. I am sure you can figure out what they mean by ‘episodic memory’, but what about ‘semantic memory’? What is ‘factual knowledge’? Well, that is just about anything other than a skill. So while this might sound like a horrible thing to loose, it means that while I might be unable to learn new (anterograde) ‘factual knowledge’, I can learn skills by doing them.
Now for something that can not be documented. In fact, it is something many dispute. I am sure you have heard that when someone looses one sense, his or her other senses heighten. Well, chances are that is bunk. What is not bunk is that when a man looses one arm, his other arm will tend to become stronger because he relies on it more. In the case of the senses, I do not see how nerve endings will become more efficient but if you rely on other senses, it seems only natural that the brain itself will become more accustom to using those senses. So while the sense of smell will not improve in a man who has become blind, I think it is a good bet that his brain’s ability to decipher the signals sent to it in the form of smell will improve.
My conclusion is that I can now learn by doing much better than ever before. In fact, I have been observing that my ability to forge has improved. I can almost see things in my mind before the first hammer blow. Not just stock removal, where you start with a chunk of metal and remove everything that is not the finished product. I mean I can look at bar stock and see all of the twists and compressions, all of the hammer blows and bends before they are made.
Yep, rambling again. But the point of this entry is to remind me of something. This might be one in many explanations for insanity, which is often associated with artists.
Ok, gotta go put in a fountain. Hope the instructions have lots of pictures or it might look silly.
5 Responses to “One door closes. One door opens.”
Did you see Nova on PBS last night? It was all about making Japanese swords, I think it was called ’secrets of the Japanese sword’ and it was fascinating. Nova’s usually on Tues. nights but PBS has other showings throughout the week. It described how the metal is made,and how they put the hard metal on the outside and the more flexible metal on the inside and when they cool it, it’s what makes the sword bend and be curved because the inside metal is free to shrink but the outside metal cannot shrink the way it wants to and causes the bow. I think a sword maker might like the show.
It’s awesome that you have a full life despite a disability, and really cool that something good has come from it.
Heh, this is your leader, I feel like i’m in a 50’s movie and the aliens have landed lol
By Suzume on Oct 10, 2007
As a traumatic brain injury survivor also, I have to say that the professionals recommend that survivors of brain injuries DO NOT drink at all, whether they ever had a drinking problem pre-bonk or not.
The possibility of addiction [or relapse in someone who was previously abstinent]increases dramatically with acquired brain injuries. [tbi is a form of acquired brain injury. Electrocution falls under that].
As far as “learning better than before” I must respectfully disagree with you there. Brain damage causes dirt roads in a manner of speaking where previously high-speed freeways existed. Any sort of improvement in pre-bonk skills is often more accurately attributed to our being able to compensate for our difficulties– use workarounds.
Yes, some things rewire and all of that however not exactly in the way they were “before.” Some wires connect up right causing a dirt road: that is cognitive slowing. Some connect to the wrong wires: that’s altered states of consciousness and glitches. Some regrow somewhat but don’t connect. When a neuron doesn’t connect to anything at all, a permanent CNS tremor develops.
It’s okay if you delete this comment. This was the fastest way I could think of to get ahold of you regarding the drinking thing. We’ve already got some brain cells that have kicked the bucket. Drinking even a little bit is truly dangerous for us.
respectfully,
spike q
By spikeq1love on Oct 13, 2007
The big differences between Anterograde Amnesia and Retrograde Amnesia falls into what part of LTM (Long Term Memory) is being lost. A simple example of Anterograde Amnesia is being unable to form NEW MEMORIES after a brain injury. In defense of your brains neurotransmitters, they will rewire themselves after a brain trauma or injury resulting in what would be like the other senses picking-up the slack for what was lost. In your example of an one armed man, of course his remaining arm is going to be stronger…..he’s using those muscles more. Your brain is a mostly sleeping muscle that just needs to be used more. If you are experiencing anterograde amnesia, a good way to help your brain’s neurotransmitters rewire is to take a daily Omega Fish Oil supplement. I know you won’t eat the meat, but fish oil is full of DHA that helps your brain function more fully. It’s just a suggestion.
By MajorTal on Oct 13, 2007
Spikeq1love - What I said was: “My conclusion is that I can now learn by doing much better than ever before.” I did not say anything along the lines of I can learn better than before the injury as you indicated I had by misquoting me thus: “learning better than before”
Please follow the concept. I am not finding a work around as I am not doing what I once did for a job. I am doing something new, something that depends on a different part of my brain, one not affected by anterograde amnesia. I am depending more on my non-declarative memory.
Now, if I were to loose my left arm I would depend more on my right. My right arm would become stronger because I am using it more, because I am depending on it more.
The brain works in a similiar way according to the animated world class research neurologist on my Brain Age Game. I brought the thing to my real world neurologist and he agreed, use it or loose it.
The more you work your brain (within reason) and the better your brain will work. Just like your muscles, the more you work them (within reason) the more they will be able to work.
As I am now using a different part of my brain, the part that deals with non-declaritive memory, well that part of my brain will become better.
Example: I can remember exactly how to put in a counter twist into a 1/2 inch square chunk of 1055 high carbon spring steel without ever thinking about it. But if I read a book telling me how to do it, well I will forget the first paragraph before finishing the second.
So I am functionaly illiterate but I can forge a mean counter twisted basket hilt, something I couldnt figure out before the accident.
By A.J. Drew on Oct 14, 2007
MajorTal - Yep yep but nope on the fish oil. I agree that such things are over all good, but I will not consume anything which came from the death of an animal. My neurologist has me on pharmacuticals which probably contatain many of the chemicals that the fish oil contains, only they are synthetic.
I have no problem with modern medicine as it lets me continue to live an acceptable life. I can still walk and talk. I just cant remember what I said in the last post.
By A.J. Drew on Oct 14, 2007