BIO PSYCHOLOGY CASE ANALYSIS 1 (PRELIMS)
The Case of Jimmie G., the Man Frozen in Time
1. What type of memory impairment did Jimmie G. exhibit, and how does this condition
manifest in his daily life?
• Jimmie G. had Korsakoff’s Syndrome, a condition caused by a lack of thiamine
(vitamin B1) and often related to alcohol addiction, making patients with this
syndrome have difficulty remembering the sequence of events or forming new
memories after the condition begins (Wijnia, 2022). For Jimmie, this meant he
could not form new memories after his time in the Navy. He could not discuss
anything that had happened after his Navy service, and he believed he was still 19
years old. In daily life, Jimmie would forget conversations and experiences within
minutes, was disoriented to time and place, and needed constant reorientation by
caregivers. This severely limited his independence and ability to learn or retain
new information.
2. How might damage to specific brain regions explain Jimmie G.’s symptoms,
particularly his inability to form new memories?
• Korsakoff’s Syndrome damages the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for
forming new memories (Pinel et al., 2018). As brain interactions involving the
hippocampus are important for memory formation, the interruption of these
interactions by thiamine deficiency or chronic alcoholism can lead to
neuropsychological deficits in Korsakoff’s syndrome (Jung et al., 2012). Hence, if
a part of the hippocampus is damaged, one will not be able to make short-term
memories into long-term ones. Similar to Jimmie G.’s case, he was unable to form
new memories, leaving him stuck or frozen in time, which was his past.
3. Discuss the ethical considerations and challenges that healthcare professionals face
when caring for patients with severe memory impairments like Jimmie G.
• Ethical considerations that healthcare professionals must have when caring for a
person like Jimmie are to still treat them with respect and dignity. Jimmie and
patients alike are still human beings who have their own rights, and that includes
the right to make their own decisions, despite the challenge of short-term
memory loss. They must respect the patient’s condition while also guiding them
to their independence. This process may feel repetitive for caregivers, which can
test their patience and emotionally drain them. Thus, they must try to put
themselves in those patients’ shoes; what they really need are people who will
guide them without sacrificing their dignity, and have empathy and passion to
truly care for them.
4. What strategies or interventions could be implemented to improve the quality of life
for individuals like Jimmie G. who suffer from severe memory impairments?
• Improving the quality of life for individuals like Jimmie G. means being able to live
with comfort and social connection again. To achieve this, Johnson and Fox
(2018) point out that patients are given long-term vitamin therapy, but it only
prevents the syndrome from developing further. Hence, they found a more
effective approach, including cognitive strategies, environmental support, and
comprehensive care. Cognitive strategies, such as verbalization when performing
tasks or using errorless learning, can significantly improve cognitive function.
They also benefit from others' support, as it improves their thinking and memory.
5. How does Jimmie G.’s case contribute to our understanding of the role of memory in
constructing personal identity and continuity over time?
• In Jimmie’s case, it highlighted that without memory, it becomes difficult to maintain
a sense of self as time passes. His case shows how memory is important in
shaping our personal identity, connecting our past, present, and future. With this,
we will be able to handle life without getting stuck in any phase. Memory is the one
that binds our entirety from who we were before, to who we are now, and to what
we will become in the future. Hence, it will give us a sense of continuity, allowing
us to look forward to getting to know ourselves better in the future.
REFERENCE
Johnson, J. M., & Fox, V. (2018). Beyond Thiamine: Treatment for cognitive impairment
in Korsakoff’s syndrome. Psychosomatics, 59(4), 311–317.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psym.2018.03.011
Jung, Y., Chanraud, S., & Sullivan, E. V. (2012). Neuroimaging of Wernicke’s
encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. Neuropsychology Review, 22(2),
170–180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-012-9203-4
Pinel, John P. J. & Barnes, Steven J. (2018) New (PDF) Biopsychology, 10th Edition;
Pearson Education Inc. ISBN: 0134203690
Wijnia, J. W. (2021). A Clinician’s View of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome. Journal of
Clinical Medicine, 11(22), 6755. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11226755
