Clive Wearing, a British musician, fell ill with herpes simplex virus at age 47, which caused severe neurological damage leading to both anterograde and retrograde amnesia. This left him unable to form new long-term memories and severely impaired his recall of past events.
It was found that large parts of Wearing's brain had been destroyed by the virus. This caused him to start experiencing auditory hallucinations. Imaging also showed abnormalities in the amygdala and hippocampus as well as other brain areas, complying with the ideas of these areas being crucial memory stores. IQ tests were in the average range, but lower than they would have been before the illness.
Neuropsychological tests such as IQ tests
and MRI scans showed an astounding difference
in Clive's brain in comparison to a healthy age match.
The Study
The study of Clive Wearing is a long-term case study, taking place in the field and over a number of years. As it is a case study it focuses solely on one individual, and as it is in the field, there is no use of an artificial setting.
Critisisms
Critics also suggest that this may have caused psychological damage or distress over time.
There are ethical debates regarding this study as the subject
(Clive Wearing) had no real control over confidentiality, as a person who cannot remember anything about their own life cannot properly consent.
This is a case study, meaning it focuses solely on one individual. Therefore it cannot be used to make any generalisations.
What did we learn from Clive Wearing?
The case of Clive Wearing has been used as proof for the multiple stores theory, as the parts of the brain that were damaged positively correspond with the parts of the memory destroyed according to the theory.
What happened to Clive Wearing?
Clive Wearing is now left with virtually no long-term
memory, and every few minutes re-experiences waking up, as he has no recollection of anything that has just happened. He is only able to remember the last 30 seconds, giving him the nickname "30-second Clive".
Clive's illness damaged his brain in such a way that he now suffers from severe and chronic anterograde and retrograde amnesia. He remembers little about his own life- his episodic memory is severely inhibited- he can hardly remember any of his life up until the present. He remembers that he has children, but does not remember their names. However, his procedural memory is seemingly unharmed. He can remember how to walk, speak, and even play the piano. He also remembers his wife and his connection with her, but cannot remember the last time he saw her, and greets her lovingly each time she enters the room, as if he has not seen her in years.
Wearing is a British musician who, at age 47 1985, fell ill with herpes simplex, a usually benign virus, which has an unforeseen impact on Clive's neurological health.
Who is Clive Wearing?
Clive Wearing is a British citizen and successful pianist, conductor and musicologist. He is married to Deborah Wearing, and has children from a previous marriage.
