Harvey suffers many head injuries during a long professional football career. He has begun struggling to recall the names of friends and family members. This is most likely due to damage to the a) hippocampus. b) medulla. c) amygdala. d) hypothalamus.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is a) hippocampus.
The hippocampus is a critical structure in the brain that plays a key role in memory formation and recall. Damage to the hippocampus can result in difficulties with short-term and long-term memory, including the ability to recall names, faces, and other important personal details. Harvey’s struggle to recall the names of friends and family members is consistent with damage to the hippocampus, particularly in cases where there is repetitive trauma, such as from head injuries in contact sports like football.
The hippocampus is located in the temporal lobe and is part of the limbic system, which is involved in various aspects of emotional regulation and memory processing. When the hippocampus is damaged, a person may experience anterograde amnesia, where they have trouble forming new memories, or retrograde amnesia, where they have difficulty recalling previously learned information.
In contrast, the other structures listed do not have the same direct connection to memory recall. The medulla is responsible for regulating vital functions like heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. The amygdala is primarily involved in processing emotions, particularly fear and pleasure, and while it can have some role in memory, it is not the primary area responsible for recalling specific details like names. The hypothalamus is involved in regulating hormones and basic physiological functions such as hunger, thirst, and temperature regulation, and it does not directly influence memory recall.
Given Harvey’s history of head injuries, it is highly likely that damage to the hippocampus has impaired his ability to recall important personal information, making it the most probable cause of his memory difficulties.