New Neurological Information About EMs, Self, DID, and Memory

This letter relates to a new way way to test the relationship of eye-movements to memory retrieval.It also has some implications for the "false memory" controversy and DID. I have posted to the EMDR list--but I think some of the research is potentially quite important and I would like to have Francine's feedback.

I have just been reading a truly inspiring new book called Phantoms In The Brain by V.S. Ramachandran MD PhD-Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition, University of California, San Diago. In his chapter "The Sound of One Hand Clapping" Dr. Ramachandran extended an absolutely ingenious set of experiments on patients who have "left side" denial syndrome. This is a condition where a stroke patient is paralyzed on the left side and completely denies that there is anything wrong despite all rational evidence to the contrary. These individuals have normal intelligence and functioning in every other way, and this massive denial is mind-boggling to observe.

In his research lab, Dr. Ramachandran reports on the results of extending the parameters of an ingenious experiment performed in 1987 by an Italian neurologist (Eduardo Bisiach), on a patient with this neglect and denial syndrome. Bisiach "took a syringe filled with ice-cold water and irrigated the patient's left ear canal--a procedure that tests vestibular nerve function. Within a few seconds the patient's eyes started to move vigorously in a process called nystagmus. The cold water sets up a convection current in the ear canals, thereby fooling the brain into thinking the head is moving and into making involuntary correctional eye movements that we call nystagmus. When Bisiach then asked the denial patient whether she could use her arms, she calmly replied that she had no use of of her left arm! Amazingly, the cold water irrigation of the left ear had brought about a complete (although temporary) remission from the anosognosia." (p.144)

Dr, Ramachandran repeated the experiment with a patient with left side denial syndrome. Here is the text:

"Mrs. Maken, how are you doing?" "Fine." "Can you walk?" "Sure." "Can you use your right hand?" "Yes." "Can you use your left hand?" "Yes" Are they equally strong?" "Yes." [Note-The last two statements are complete confabulations--she is paralyzed on the left side }

After the nystagmus, I asked again, "How are you feeling?' "My ear's cold." "What about your arms? Can you use your arms?" "No," she replied, "mu left arm is paralyzed." This was the first time she had used that word in the three weeks since her stroke. "Mrs. Macken, how long have you been paralyzed?" She said, "Oh, continuously, all these days."

Dr Ramachandran continues "This was an extraordinary remark, for it implies that even though she had been denying her paralysis each time I had seen her over these last few weeks, the memories of her failed attempts had been registering somewhere in her brain, yet access to them had been blocked. The cold water acted as a "truth serum" that brought her repressed memories about her paralysis to the surface." (p146)

This "truthfulness lasted for at least a half an hour after the nystagmus (e.g. eye movements) ceased. Twelve hours later she again confabulated.

Relation to DID

The author of Phantoms in the Brain then writes: " Watching the two Mrs. Mackens reminded me of the controversial clinical syndrome known as multiple personalities immortalized in fiction as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I say controversial because most of my more hard-nosed colleagues refuse to believe that the syndrome even exists and would probably argue that it is simply an elaborate form of "play-acting." What we have seen in Mrs. Macken, however, implies that such partial insulation of one personality from the other can indeed occur, even though they occupy a singly body."

Relation to EMDR Dr. Ramachandran has (apparently) never heard of EMDR but makes the following extremely interesting set of observations. If he is right in his theory--than the "left side denial syndrome" experiments may also be partial neurological proof that eye movements are related to the recovery of true memories. This could be very important and exciting.

The author writes: "The questions remains: "How did the cold water produce such apparently miraculous effects on Mrs. Macken.?[he discuses an activation theory--and then continues] This interpretation is probably at least partially correct, but I would like to consider a more speculative alternative hypothesis: the idea that this phenomenon is somehow related to rapid eye movement or dream sleep (REM) People spend a third of their lives sleeping, and 25 percent of that time their eyes are moving as they experience vivid, emotional dreams. During these dreams we are often confronted with unpleasant, disturbing facts about ourselves. Thus in both the cold-water state and REM sleep there are noticeable eye movements and unpleasant, forbidden memories come to the surface, and this may not be a coincidence. . .I suggest that the vestibular stimulation caused by the cold water partially activates the same circuitry that generates REM sleep. This allows the patient to uncover unpleasant, disturbing facts about herself--including her paralysis--that are usually repressed when she is awake.

This is obviously a highly speculative conjecture, and I would give it only a 10 percent chance of being correct. (My colleagues would probably give it 1 percent!) But it does lead to a simple, testable prediction. Patients with denial should dream that they are paralyzed. Indeed, if they are awakened during a REM episode, they may continue to admit their paralysis for several minutes before reverting to denial again." (p148

The author goes on to say some very fascinating things on denial. I think that we should contact Dr. Ramachandran and do these experiments. Very exciting--and the book has many other experiments that have implications for the self, memory, etc.

I am very interested in hearing other people's thoughts and responses. I am completel fascinated.

Gail Shafarman PhD Level II

• Memory compartmentalization by Shapiro, 10/22/98