Memory is a brain function that allows us to encode, store, and retrieve past information. It is our ability to remember. But imagine for a moment… what if you lost your memory and couldn’t remember anything? There is a girl whose memory constantly resets.
Riley Horner Lives Without Memories, Her Memory Resets Every Two Hours For 16-year-old Riley Horner, who lives in Illinois, USA, this is her daily reality. She suffered a traumatic brain injury after accidentally getting kicked in the head at a dance. Since the incident, she lives without memories.
How Is This Possible? How Can Memory Reset? Due to the head injury, this girl’s memory “resets” every two hours. Therefore, she is unable to form new memories, as she cannot retain her experiences in long-term memory. This type of memory is responsible for storing memories. As a result, the girl wakes up every day thinking it is June 11, 2019, the day of the accident.
What Is Her Daily Life Like with This Memory Issue? Due to her condition, Riley has had to find ways to help herself each time her memory resets. So, she always carries a notebook, like a diary, where she writes everything down so she can refer to it when her memory resets. And how does she remember to check this notebook? Every two hours, she has an alarm on her phone that reminds her.
Riley Suffers from Anterograde Amnesia, Resetting Her Memory Each Morning Just like in the movie “50 First Dates,” do you remember it? The girl suffers from a type of anterograde amnesia due to the accident she experienced. As a result, she has no recollection of anything that happened between the day of the accident and the present. Every morning, upon waking up, she has lost all memories of the previous day.
Memory Reset Is a Medical Mystery Currently, doctors have classified the teenager’s case as a medical mystery. There is nothing medically wrong and they are unable to determine whether Riley’s current situation will be permanent or if it can be reversed.
We hope that her memory will eventually return to normal, and that she will wake up one day finally retaining all her memories.
