Most patients suffer one or the other, so it's notable that Clive suffered both.Ĭlive Wearing and Dual Retrograde-Anterograde AmnesiaĬlive’s rare dual retrograde-anterograde amnesia, also known as global or total amnesia, is one of the most extreme cases of memory loss ever recorded. As a consequence, he was left with both anterograde amnesia, the inability to make or keep memories, and retrograde amnesia, the loss of past memories.
It is essential for recalling facts and remembering how, where, and when an event happened.Ĭlive’s hippocampus and medial temporal lobes where it is located were ravaged by the disease. The hippocampus is a part of the brain that plays an important role in consolidating short-term memory into long-term memory. The rare neurological condition called herpes encephalitis caused profound and irreparable damage to Clive’s hippocampus. When on 27 March 1985 he contracted a virus that attacked his central nervous system resulting in a brain infection, Clive’s life was changed forever. He was an accomplished musicologist, keyboardist, conductor, music producer, and professional tenor at the Westminster Cathedral.
Not Just Clive Wearing: Other Cases of Amnesia Who is Clive Wearing?Ĭlive Wearing was born on.
