Why when people lose their memory..?

Question

And cannot remember anything due to a fall or hit on the head. Cannot remember their name but understand their language and know they are a human being?

Not to mention knowing what a hospital is, or even a bed.

Why does the brain only block out your personal information and remembers everything else?

Answer 1

thats how life is

Answer 2

A very intelligent question and I wish I had an answer of equal value. In my own observation though, it seems, the more basic the information, the deeper it goes inside the brain. The things we learned before we were 2 or 3 years of age, like fore instance bed, food,water,outdoors,etc. are things that we retain. I suppose that it is one of those survival traits we are blessed with.

Answer 3

Different areas of the brain deal with different types of cognition and memory. Depending on which areas are injured, all sorts of different things could happen.

Answer 4

I don't know, but you can also remember the words to songs not heard in years, but cant remember your own phone number or address, that you have had for years.

Answer 5

I can't tell you why, but I can tell you that it isn't just a fall or a hit on the head. Ever try to log back onto a website you haven't used in ages?

Answer 6

Different storage areas of the brain.

Answer 7

that is something no one knows the answer to .... a theory is that the brain is protecting us from some kind of trauma that we can't handle

Answer 8

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question672.htm

Answer 9

why not