by John Testore

The Brain s Temporal lobe and Limbic System is the space where all the Learning processes take place.

Learning is the synergy between Memory, Thinking and Acting.
These three skills are referred to in Psychiatry as Executive Function and are indispensable for learning.
In ADHD, they are dysfunctional to varying degrees.
To make things worse, ADHD is an underlying condition in most cases of Autism.

Once again, we are haunted with the hateful thoughts of Learning Disability.
Can we debunk that disrespectful notion? If not, change terminology?
Nobody, neurotypical or neurodiverse, want to be identified as stupid.
In order to advocate rightfully, we need to do a lot of research backed up by patience and humility.

Working Memory is the precursor of all Learning.
One would expect Thinking, rightly so, though this action won’t produce results if not memorized.
How many times, back in our school day, we went mute during interrogations despite having studied the subject… sadly, 30 years ago, the humiliating response of Mental Health s ignorant teachers was “They all claim to not remember when they didn’t study…”
Just to add insult to injury.

Memory Retention is not a Learning Disability.

We ll have to start with how Memory gets stored, a mechanism not yet fully understood.
We know for sure that there are two types of Memory, short-term memory and long-term memory.
Every memory is first registered in the short-term. For this reason, it is referred to as Information. Unless we have an interest in it, it is quickly forgotten.
The dilemma is that we must remember unpleasant information too.
To date, Repetition is the only solution, though it doesn’t work for me.
Repetition makes me feel stupid.
On the other hand, interesting Information is stored in the long-term at first glance.

I love humanities, I could remember them just by listening.
I hate maths and wasn’t able to perform a sum.
The meaningless approach of my maths teacher was to give me extra homework in so doing matters worse.
I perceived it as a vengeful attempt.
Nowadays, Special Needs teachers would be employed.

The stage of storing long-term Information is called Retention.
Theoretically speaking, all memory is stored at subconscious level.
Recall is the process of bringing memories at conscious level by Will.

In brief, there are 3 stages of Memory in chronological succession: Registration, Storage, Recall.
Recall is the most common Memory Disorder with potentially catastrophic developments the likes of Amnesia and Dementia in the final stages.

Thinking is the next step to Registration.
Because Registration happens in the short-term, it is easily forgettable in Attention Deficits.
One of the hypotheses of ADHD.

In ADHD, Information switches subjects relentlessly, therefore doesn’t get stored in long-term memory.
Stimulant medication partially enhances focus by targeting dopamine.
Dopamine as in Reward neurotransmitter, would explain Interest-dependent Concentration and Storage.
The efficacy of these medications is fairly good. Their limitation is the daily lifespan, 6/8 hours average after which they wear off, allowing Confusion, Fatigue, Forgetfulness, Irritability, to set in again.
Prolonging the lifespan of these compounds will prevent Sleep, not an option, lack of sleep = dysfunctional concentration.
More research is needed, current data is insufficient.

Acting is the disrupted outcome of irrational Thinking in ADHD and Autism.
Any action taken without Thinking is disastrous.

This is Memory in a nutshell.

Latest updates speculate that memories could be a byproduct of emotions, based on the same cerebral regions where emotions originate, the Limbic System, the core of the brain where all neuronal clusters converge.
You ll understand that its anatomy is worthy of a whole encyclopedia with millions of neuronal pathways requiring years of study by neuroscientists.
The reason Mental Illness is being studied for centuries is because Man s life is too short to cover the entire human body, let alone the brain.
Medical science as we know it today, is at a Development stage.

I ll therefore skip anatomical analysis while focusing on symptomatology.

Emotions are linked to empathy and bonding.
We can’t feel emotions without Empathy.
In fact, Empathy is an Emotion in itself, with the sole difference that originates from Bonding, the Love-attachment between Parents and Children developing in the first months of life.
Lack of empathy is the result of Parental Neglect.
The logic is that Memory Retention will be disrupted without Empathy.

Now, before continuing, I want to make clear that my articles are not the simple pasting of Internet posts, they are my personal elaboration of data acquired in my Med-school years before my ASD/ADHD diagnosis.
I strive to match my academic experience with latest findings published in books/journals of Neuroscience for the sole purpose of Advocacy.
My interest in neuroscience is dictated by my original career pursuit in Psychiatry and ongoing training as paramedic.

Are Memories and Emotions the same combination?
Did it occur to you that memories not associated to emotions are easily forgotten?
I previously talked of my hatred for mathematics, I don’t feel any emotion for numbers, I rely on calculators even for the simplest operations: I know that 10+10=20, I just find Counting rewardless, yet I understand the importance.

Psychiatry defines Empathy as Altruism, not self-awareness.
According to this line of thought, Memory-storage would be of altruistic nature.
Healthcare workers are naturally altruistic.
Coincidentally, I can’t see any empathy in Maths teachers…

My name is John Testore and I m a British-Italian man married to a Japanese lady in Japan. I m a former Medical student. I was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD in Med-school causing me to drop after my third year and join the Ambulance Service as paramedic.