Lacunar amnesia
Lacunar amnesia is the loss of memory about one specific event. It is a type of amnesia that leaves a lacuna in the record of memory. According to Steven Johnson,: "Scientists believe memories are captured and stored by two separate parts of the brain, the hippocampus, the normal seat of memory, and the amygdala, one of the brain's emotional centers. People who, due to hippocampus damage, are incapable of forming long-term memories can still form subconscious memories of traumatic events if their amygdala is intact. Someone suffering from the
Memento condition would likely have a feeling of general unease encountering a person who had harmed them in the past, though they wouldn't be able to put their finger on why. As the plot of
Eternal Sunshine correctly suggests, the brain is designed to preserve emotionally strong memories. Even amnesiacs, under the right circumstances, can remember their past feelings." Furthermore, according to Alex Chadwick speaking on NPR: "Some scientists now believe that memories effectively get rewritten every time they're activated.