Intact priming of patterns despite impaired memory.
The priming of patterns was examined in normal control subjects (NCS) and in the amnesic patient H.M., whose anterograde amnesia followed bilateral medial temporal-lobe excision 33 years earlier. Despite H.M.'s impaired recognition of the patterns, he demonstrated a pattern priming effect equivalent in magnitude to that of the NCS. The results demonstrated that intact priming with novel, nonverbal material can occur despite severe amnesia. Pattern priming may reflect adaptive visual processes involved in learning novel perceptual organizations of known visual codes, such as letters, words, shapes, and objects.
Gabrieli
J D
JD
Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139.
Milberg
W
W
Keane
M M
MM
Corkin
S
S
D000647:Amnesia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011612:Psychosurgery; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*