Cerebro Mutant Profile 44447: Mnemosis

Total Recall!

from Sploid

Researchers at the University of California-Irvine have found a woman whose memory is so astonishingly awesome that it deserves a new name.

Her condition is called hyperthymestic syndrome, based on the Greek words for "more than normal" and "remembering."

Given a random date, the woman can recall what she was doing and what day of the week it was. She doesn't need to use mnemonic devices to help jog her memory, either.

"I have studied learning and memory for over 50 years, and I had never read of or even heard about a person who has a comparable ability to remember," said Jim McGaugh, one of the neurobiologists who has worked with her for the past six years.

"However, we do not know whether she is unique or whether there may be others with comparable remembering ability who have not as yet been identified."

The woman, who remains anonymous, told researchers: "It's like a running movie that never stops...Like we're sitting here talking and...in my head I'm thinking about something that happened to me in December 1982, Dec. 17, 1982, it was a Friday, I started to work at (a store)."