Do Aspies store memories differently?
I've always had a hard time remembering experiences before 6 months in my past, including big trips with my family and major events. I just remember things in theory--like the way you remember what the topic of a tv episode was. It doesn't register as having been a part of reality, and lacks detail.
I've mostly forgotten about my old uni last year, but I was laying bed last night and found myself remembering locations with intensely vivid detail. Down to the very placement of objects and feel of the air in certain rooms there. I started crying, not for sadness but just being overwhelmed.
I used to have similar experience remembering childhood trauma-- the memories would come back so vividly that I would be crippled by fear for up to an hour at a time. I just chalked it up to some trauma-specific thing or ptsd (which I've read has a higher occurrence with ASD individuals).
It would seem that a lot of my memories aren't missing, but "zipped", like computer files. The details are in there, but compacted, sewn up into a slip, and tucked into the pile or filing cabinet of thoughts. I'm not really talking about mind palaces, but maybe that phenomenon is related? or maybe everyone ever files their thoughts similarly haha
Aspies have a much higher chance of having a perfect memory, in which they can recall everything down to the finest detail and time.
More often than not they have them.
It is quite common for people in general to have to think about something to recall the details.
If you are on any medication that is anti-pyschotic and/or in the same class as anti-depressants, it can effect your memory.
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Something.... Weird... Something...
I don’t know if I (process and) store “memories” differently, but I am beginning to sense that I (process and) store “information” differently. And, I believe that is somehow related to being exceptionally detailed-oriented (and the methodology needed in order to collect, organize and store all those “fine” details).
First of all, I am pretty certain that, compared to neurotypicals, I use a “richer” (or more complete) taxonomy for classifying/organizing all the extensive information I collect. And, I believe having this “richer” taxonomy helps in recall (as it provides multiple paths for getting to the same piece of information). However, it means that storage is quite a bit slower. Before that information can be stored, I need to parse it, understand it, understand how to classify it, make adjustments to the taxonomy (adding/pruning nodes, as required) and only then can it be stored. I cannot do this quickly, as a re-index is an expensive operation in memory.
Second of all, I get really confused (more so than others) when incomplete information is presented to me. I need to have all of the details, before I understand the concept. Essentially, I am unable (or perhaps unwilling and too inflexible) to store partial information. As it seems like too much work to continually and constantly modify that taxonomy as new information comes in. But, once I have those details, I understand everything (the big picture and all of the nitty gritty details) better than anyone else.
I am not certain this makes sense. But those of you who work in computer science may understand what I am talking about.
The year I was on antidepressants is the blurriest time of my life. I definitely get the "it happened in theory" idea. I don't have any really clear, full memories until about 3 months after I stopped taking it. Being depressed by itself fuzzes up my brain, but the pills made it worse.
I'm not sure whether I have Aperger's. I have many of the traits, but perfect memory isn't one of them.
When I remember something, an event or place, I usually recall almost everything I have in my memory about it (which isn't much), unless I have some kind of cue. My spatial memory is the strongest. I remember things in 3D and can see it from any perspective. I remember the placement of objects and people that concerned me at the time, but the rest is generic. I also have difficulty remembering colors.
As for the mind palace thing, yes, it's probably related. When you access your mind palace you block all external stimuli and focus all your energy on recalling something (like Sherlock Holmes), and it helps you remember far more detail than you normally would.
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"They sound good in my brain, then my tongue makes not the words sound very good, formally." - Homer Simpson
Undisgnosed - Aspie score: 122 of 200 - NT score: 105 of 200
I'm not sure if it has something to do with being an Aspie or not but my family says AS must be the reason:
I am able to recall some events from the past as if I was watching a movie - I see it clearly around me and I can hear the sounds from past if I focus on them. Some details get missed but I can recall a huge amount of audio-visual stimuli, especially if they are logically or time-wise connected. I am known of singing whole songs out of memory and keeping the melody. Not a big deal if you can actually hear the song in your head. But my parents and grandparents say they can't do it.
Maybe they misunderstand me? I don't see and hear the memories exactly like reality. They are more like a dream. Different kind of senses is used to imitate the old stimuli than the actual eyes. When I recall the past I use the same senses as I do in my dream. I know because I was practicing Lucid Dreams and I took my time staying in middle between dream and reality to learn about the 2 kinds of senses. You know you can feel the real bed and the floor in dream world at the same time and those 2 stimuli feel similar but yet different? Same with sounds. When you stay between dream and being awake you can hear both sounds from reality and the dream world. Just as if you had 2 different senses of touch and hearing.
Yes I went through this too.
I went through a lot of different antidepressants and anti-psychotic medicines between late 2010 and through all of 2012.
The worst part was I was in the middle of by undergrad and it greatly impacted my classes and GPA.
I still had a lingering effect until mid 2013.
Cymbalta responds the best with me.
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Something.... Weird... Something...
Lots of aspies have "eidetic" memory (often mis-called photographic memory).
Here's the Wikipedia link Wikipedia - Eidetic Memory
Perhaps that is what you have.
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Diagnosed Asperger's
First of all, I am pretty certain that, compared to neurotypicals, I use a “richer” (or more complete) taxonomy for classifying/organizing all the extensive information I collect. And, I believe having this “richer” taxonomy helps in recall (as it provides multiple paths for getting to the same piece of information). However, it means that storage is quite a bit slower. Before that information can be stored, I need to parse it, understand it, understand how to classify it, make adjustments to the taxonomy (adding/pruning nodes, as required) and only then can it be stored. I cannot do this quickly, as a re-index is an expensive operation in memory.
Second of all, I get really confused (more so than others) when incomplete information is presented to me. I need to have all of the details, before I understand the concept. Essentially, I am unable (or perhaps unwilling and too inflexible) to store partial information. As it seems like too much work to continually and constantly modify that taxonomy as new information comes in. But, once I have those details, I understand everything (the big picture and all of the nitty gritty details) better than anyone else.
I am not certain this makes sense. But those of you who work in computer science may understand what I am talking about.
Actually, that is something I can relate to very much with the way I store and process information with my mind. When I was in college (undergrad and grad), I was not the best at regurgitating certain material in some areas because my mind was constantly processing it to put the pieces together like a puzzle. In those classes, I very rarely got an A, but could easily manage a mid to high B grade. I was looked down upon by the A students because of this, as they saw me as being inferior due to my lower grade. Those that memorized the material (most of the A students) could not recall it much after a few months if their lives depended upon it. But, I basically retained at least 90% of that information even after many years have passed without thinking about that subject area. That method of learning helped me out on cume exams (grad school) as they test your capabilities of remembering certain details of your past knowledge using tricky questions on essay formats. The other NT students pulled their hair out trying to figure out why it was so easy for me but yet so hard for them, yet I had a lower net GPA than them in most areas. They even tried studying with me thinking that I would save them somehow with my learning strategies. Yes, I did enjoy frustrating them a bit during that time.
As for the absolute limit of my earliest memories, I can go back in my life to about when I was less than a year old (10 months to be exact) with a few select instances, but more clearer pictures of everything by around 3 years old. From then on is like watching a movie with a remote control. I really wish I could erase some of it though...
First of all, I am pretty certain that, compared to neurotypicals, I use a “richer” (or more complete) taxonomy for classifying/organizing all the extensive information I collect. And, I believe having this “richer” taxonomy helps in recall (as it provides multiple paths for getting to the same piece of information). However, it means that storage is quite a bit slower. Before that information can be stored, I need to parse it, understand it, understand how to classify it, make adjustments to the taxonomy (adding/pruning nodes, as required) and only then can it be stored. I cannot do this quickly, as a re-index is an expensive operation in memory.
Second of all, I get really confused (more so than others) when incomplete information is presented to me. I need to have all of the details, before I understand the concept. Essentially, I am unable (or perhaps unwilling and too inflexible) to store partial information. As it seems like too much work to continually and constantly modify that taxonomy as new information comes in. But, once I have those details, I understand everything (the big picture and all of the nitty gritty details) better than anyone else.
I am not certain this makes sense. But those of you who work in computer science may understand what I am talking about.
You could have been describing my mind, this is exactly how I store information. And it's the same with incomplete information too, it confuses me when I don't have all the details, and I will learn basically nothing.
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"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important."
- Sherlock Holmes
Actually, that is something I can relate to very much with the way I store and process information with my mind. When I was in college (undergrad and grad), I was not the best at regurgitating certain material in some areas because my mind was constantly processing it to put the pieces together like a puzzle. In those classes, I very rarely got an A, but could easily manage a mid to high B grade. I was looked down upon by the A students because of this, as they saw me as being inferior due to my lower grade. Those that memorized the material (most of the A students) could not recall it much after a few months if their lives depended upon it. But, I basically retained at least 90% of that information even after many years have passed without thinking about that subject area. That method of learning helped me out on cume exams (grad school) as they test your capabilities of remembering certain details of your past knowledge using tricky questions on essay formats. The other NT students pulled their hair out trying to figure out why it was so easy for me but yet so hard for them, yet I had a lower net GPA than them in most areas. They even tried studying with me thinking that I would save them somehow with my learning strategies. Yes, I did enjoy frustrating them a bit during that time.
I'm similar when it comes to school material! I can't cram it in as fast as everyone, especially with math and science concepts, but they seem to solidify after the stress period has passed. I have to retake a math class for uni, because I took the AP in high school but didn't pass the exam (I didn't study at all), but I understand the material much better now, two years later.
Although, I'm the queen of rote memorization in a pinch. I've been called on to understudy in shows within less than an hour to prep a few times, and memorized a ten minute monologue for forensics in about 5 hours one time.
nerdygirl
Veteran
Joined: 16 Jun 2014
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,645
Location: In the land of abstractions and ideas.
I have an extremely good memory about some things, but terrible when it comes to others.
Stress and/or depression has a lot to do with it. If I am feeling stressed/overwhelmed/down, my mind is way too foggy and my memories end up being patchy.
But, if I am in a good state of mind and relaxed my memories will store in great detail.
I am extremely good at remembering concepts and how things work.