title: Individuals with episodic amnesia are not stuck in time.
abstract: The metaphor that individuals with episodic amnesia due to hippocampal damage are "stuck in time" persists in science, philosophy, and everyday life despite mounting evidence that episodic amnesia can spare many central aspects of temporal consciousness. Here we describe some of this evidence, focusing specifically on KC, one of the most thoroughly documented and severe cases of episodic amnesia on record. KC understands the concept of time, knows that it passes, and can orient himself with respect to his personal past and future. He expresses typical attitudes toward his past and future, and he is able to make future-regarding decisions. Theories claiming that the hippocampus plays an essential role in temporal consciousness need to be revised in light of these findings.
authors.affiliation: Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology Program, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. Electronic address: ccraver@artsci.wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Carl F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Craver
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada M3J 1P3.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kwan
authors.affiliation: Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology Program, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
authors.forename: Chloe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Steindam
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada M3J 1P3; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, ON, Canada M6A 2E1.
authors.forename: R Shayna
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
mesh_terms: D000647:Amnesia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D012660:Semantics; D013998:Time Perception
keywords: Amnesia; Anticipated Regret; Discounting; Episodic memory; Medial Temporal Lobes; Temporal Consciousness; Temporal orientation