Evening star., 1953-10-26
Doctors Now Explore
Mysteries of Memory
New Technique Permits
Precision Stimulation
By Thomos R. Henry

ing found by surgeons at the National
Institute of Neurological Diseases here.
A new operation which requires ex-
poSure Of the entire surface of the left
temporal lobe, that part of the cerebral
cortex located approximately behind the
ear, is permitting for the first time
precision exploration of the functions
OF this gray cell brain area in mental
life.
This operation is performed under
only local anaesthesia. The brain itself
is almost completely insensitive having
no pain nerve fibers. During the en-
tire procedure, which sometimes lasts
as long as eight hours, the patient is
conscious and able to talk to the sur
geon. Tiny areas of cells, each pre-
cisely charted on the map of the brain
In the operators hands, are stimulated
with electric currents. The patient does
not know where or when these are ap-
Piled. With each stimulation he Is
asked to describe any change he ex-
periences in his state of consciousness.
Suddenly Remembers.
A frequent response is something like
this: Il have suddenly remembered
something haven't thought about for
years. 1t happened when I was five
years DID,"
He then proceeds to describe the ex-
perlence in considerable detail, but only
so long as the surgeon continues to
apply the current. Once the needle is
lifted, the memory of this particular
event-it often was some commonplace
happening-vanishes from the con.
sclouSnesS Then stimulation of an.
other cell area may evoke quite a diff
ferent memory. 1t also, as q rule. iS
OF something in childhood.
TheSe memories come only when the
current is applied. Sometimes the pa
tlent is asked If he has experienced
any change in consciousness when there
Is no stimulation. If he describes any,
thing OF the sort, he obviously is taking.
DR.. Maitland Baldwin and his asso-
clates, however. have not been able to
md any sharply circumscribed area in
which the function of memory" is To-
Called. The unexpected revelations
are evoked by stimulation of spots
scattered all over the central portion
OF the temporal lobe. Between them
are apparently blind areas of nerve
cells, stimulation of which brings no
responses. They also have found no
clear differences in the kinds of memory
induced from specific points.
Means Little, As Such.
This means little, per Sc, DR.. Bald
win says. Possibly stronger, or even
weaker, currents applied to the unre-
Sponsive areas would cause them to re-
1haU 1Yct f6a
OF Held OF brain mapping which may
well occupy Psychologists for a genera
ton. Still they may be making some Of
the most important contributions ever
made to an understanding of the me-
chanlcs OF human consciousness with
its strange binding of past and present
which constitutes experience.
They have found part of the brain
from which memories can be brought
out by mechanical stimulation. DR..
Baldwin, however, hesitates to call any
part OF the temporal lobe "seat of
memory" 1t is becoming certain, how
ever, that in this part of the brain are
nerve pathways essential to the func-
ton of recollection. The entire act
OF memory may be function of the
brain as whole. It is hardly likely.
he believes, that pictures of past ex-
perience are filed away, as in a filing
cabinet, in any one small group of brain
cells.
The fact remains, DR.. Baldwin says,
that if both temporal lobes were re-
moved an individual would be COM
pletely without memories. Conscious
ness would be confined to the imme-
date instant. There would be no
means for the probably extremely COM
plicated coordination required for re-
calling past events to be brought about.
All awareneSs of even the immediate
past would go-and with the past the
future would be wiped out also, for
consciousness of the probability of a
future depends on the memory that
there always has been instant follow
ing instant. The unfortunate person
would be, as described by one National
Institute doctor who is Bible student,
best described in the words of the
prophet jeremiah: "He hath set me in
dark places as those that are dead
forever"
Had Slow Progress.
Mapping the human brain with any,
thing like precision started only at
about the time of World War I and
has proceeded slowly It has been
largely fortuitous since it was neces-
Sary to wait until some part of a pa
TENTS cortex had to be uncovered for
an operation. or part of the skull had
been torn away in an accident. Some
thing has been learned through the
skull by recordings of brain waves as
sociated with particular types of ac-
tivity. Only within the past few years
has deliberate electrical stimulation,
which can be compared to the natural
stimulation of nerve currents, been
possible.
Even so, DR.. Baldwin points out the
greater part of the cortex has been
fairly adequately mapped. Outstand-
ing in this work has been Dr. Wilder
Penf1eld of Montreal, with whom DR..
Baldwin worked before coming to
Washington. 1t was in DR.. Penfield's
institute that the present operation
was first performed and the strange
memory function of the temporal lobe
first recognized about two years ago.
There have been, however, only few
highly technical publications. The
lobe up to now has been essentially
unexplored territory.
But the particular facilities of the
National Institute of Neurology under
the Public Health Service now are
making feasible intensive exploration.
The operation is for psychomotor epi-
lepsy which. it was demonstrated at
DR.. Penfleld's clinic, is often due to