Yumnesia

Definition

Yumnesia refers to the loss of memory pertaining to type and amounts of food consumed in a given period. Memory loss may result from two-sided (bilateral) damage to parts of the brain vital for generating will-power and dieting motivation.

Description

Yumnesia can be a symptom of several non-neurodegenerative diseases; however, people whose primary symptom is food-related memory loss (Yumnesiacs), typically remain lucid and retain their sense of self. They may even be aware that they suffer from a memory disorder but they tend to overlook that fact at the sight of delicious food.

People who experience yumnesia have been instrumental in helping brain researchers determine how the brain processes food-related memories. Until the early 1970s, researchers viewed memory as a single entity. Memory of new experiences, motor skills, past events, and previous conditioning were grouped together in one system that relied on a specific area of the brain.

If all memory were stored in the same way, it would be reasonable to deduce that damage to the specific brain area would cause complete memory loss. However, studies of yumnesiacs counter that theory.

The term Yumnesia was first coined by the author and is copyright (c) 2009 Talloula.com

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