Photographic Memory (continuation of number 01)

I agree with Dr. Silvia Cardoso that cultural environment can favor photographic memory, adding that it might also, un-favor it. The teaching of how to read (alphabetization) is mainly verbal. I believe that this may privilege the auditory em detriment of visual systems. April 21, 1997

Cultural environment would un-favor memory if it were absolutely poor in stimuli, which rarely happens. When considering language, which could appear at first sight a poor stimulation process, it can actually use other mnemonic resources of great value.

Still, I should call attention to the fact that language is a highly developed and complex cortical activity, requiring the action of various cortical areas for its good performance, as the anterior area of language, which is responsible for the speech, and the posterior language area, which function is expressed in the comprehension of the spoken (heard) and written (seen) word.

Lesions in the Broca and Vernicke areas produce motor and sensory aphasia, respectively. Upon considering these facts, I believe we should have in mind that, for the formation of an engram during the formation of language, the cerebral cortex must utilize motor, visual, and sound resources, so that it results in an adequate learning.

Would the presence of a neural circuit responsible for the photographic memory, which could be utilized during the formation of language engrams favor learning even in a situation of poor stimuli? Could poverty in stimuli be compensated by a more complex neural network, or is the presence of rich stimuli situations what would favor the appearance of a more exuberant network of nervous connections ?

Norberto Cysne Coimbra, MD, PhD, Neuroanatomist, Molecular Neurobiologist, Morphologist, University of São Paulo, Brazil - April 21, 1997

The well based answer given by Dr. Norberto Coimbra does not conflicts with the question asked by myself. Indeed, when asking about the [preference given in teaching the auditory system], it did not mean the visual and chinesthetic systems have been abandoned, usually for being aware that brain registers sounds and colors. We are in agreement exactly for this reason . Now, the question asked by the respectable Dr. Norberto Coimbra Would it be that the presence of a neural network responsible for the photographic memory, which could be utilized during the formation of language engrams, favor learning even in situations of poor stimuli?" This contrived a doubt in myself, which is: could a blind by birth person have a photographic memory?

José Carlos Camargo, Brazil - April 21, 1997

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