What is 'SDAM (Severe Autobiographical Memory Disorder),' a condition in which memories lack visual elements and the ability to 'relive' past events in one's mind? How is it related to 'aphantasia'?
It is said that about 2-5% of the population suffers from
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SDAM is a disorder defined in 2015 that is poorly understood, but there is some evidence that it is closely related to aphantasia. Approximately half of people with SDAM also report having aphantasia, and in addition to being unable to form mental images, they find it difficult to remember past events.
Giancotti suffers from aphantasia, which means he is unable to form images, sounds or other sensations in his head. In addition to this, he has a very limited ability to mentally relive past events.
For example, when Giancotti was looking for a job, one of the questions in the screening process for applications included the question, 'Please write about an episode when you faced a difficult problem during your time at university.' Although Giancotti had been involved in many research projects during his time at university and had faced a variety of problems, he was able to remember facts such as 'I was involved in a research project,' but he could not remember a single episode that he had experienced.
The same thing happened when Giancotti's grandfather passed away. Giancotti tried to write down everything he could remember about his grandfather, but although he could remember that 'my grandfather was cheerful' and 'he often made bread and pizza together in a stone oven,' he could not remember any scenes, such as what conversations he had with his grandfather or what specifically happened when they made pizza.
'Nowhere in what I wrote were there sequences of events or specific conversations, let alone specific statements,' Giancotti wrote. 'While I was able to write a reasonable amount about my grandfather, I had to rely on guesswork to create a coherent summary of what happened.'
It is said that humans have two types of memory: semantic memory and episodic memory. Semantic memory can also be described as 'knowledge,' and refers to memories such as those obtained from a dictionary, such as 1 + 1 = 2, or the sun rising in the east. On the other hand, episodic memory refers to events that one has experienced, as well as the time, place, and emotions involved.
Giancotti points out that he seems to lack 'episodic memory.' For example, when asked what his childhood was like, or if he enjoyed his twenties, Giancotti can only answer, 'I think so.' It's not that he's unsure, but because he doesn't remember what he thought as a child. While other people would answer by recalling an episode that happened in their childhood, Giancotti doesn't have flashbacks of moments when he thought, 'That was great!' or moments when he was sad.
However, this doesn't have a huge practical impact, since other people can help recall memories if necessary, and the most important information is remembered as facts, not anecdotes.
In addition, Giancotti believes that his 'spatial memory' is strong, and that this, together with his semantic memory, compensates for the gaps in his episodic memory. For example, Giancotti has been good with maps since he was old enough to understand, and loved to guide his family along winding side streets using paper maps. This ability allows him to accurately recall the route when revisiting a town he lived in more than 10 years ago, and to correctly draw the floor plan of a house he lived in more than 30 years ago, or even a house he spent only a few days in.
Giancotti also shares a story about how his wife told him, 'I miss the burgers at Flavor Savor, a place we used to go to often in the town where we used to live,' but he couldn't remember anything about Flavor Savor at all. However, when he added the spatial information, 'It's on the last floor of the XYZ building in front of the station,' he immediately remembered, how to get to Flavor Savor, how many times he had been there in the past, and what the burgers tasted like.
Giancotti describes himself as having had a privileged upbringing, so he doesn't believe this is the result of dissociative amnesia or traumatic forgetting.
Giancotti quoted a study that looked at neural activity when people with aphantasia form episodic memories, which concluded, 'There is a fundamental difference in neural activity when forming a new episodic memory compared to when retrieving it. Aphantasia was found to have lower levels of brain waves related to attention and memory updating. Despite these neural differences, behavioral performance is equivalent to that of other people, suggesting that some kind of compensation may be taking place.' He pointed out, 'It's not that they are significantly worse at using memory, it's just that they use it differently.'
'Just because I don't have episodes or fond flashbacks in my memory doesn't mean that the people in my life don't actually exist in my mind, or that my forgotten experiences can't teach me anything. It's hard to explain, but the important thing is that they remain with me, even when I can't remember specific moments. My experiences become wisdom in themselves. There are certainly downsides, and I understand why many SDAM patients lament their condition, but the benefit is that the lack of recollections, flashbacks, and vivid visions of possible futures allows me to focus on the present and what I can do now to make tomorrow better,' he said.
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