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On the topic of memory, I found a very interesting article in the NY Science Times called "When a Brain Forgets Where memory is." I'm sure all of us have heard of amnesia, which usually results from a physical neurological problem. Dissociative fugue, however, has the same symptoms as amnesia, without the physical problem. People who experience fugue, usually are going about their daily routine when they suddenly wander off, forgetting everything that they were doing only a moment ago. They do not realize that they have forgotten anything until they are asked any biographical questions. However, once asked they realize, they have not only forgotten their families, their jobs, and their addresses, but also who they are. Dissociative fugue can lasts from a few hours to a few months and usually restores memory as suddenly as it was taken away. The condition has no physical cause and usually results from severe stress or after a traumatic event.

I've come to understand that our brains take in and filter out a lot. They even fill in the missing pieces of our reality. I am completely fine with the idea that my reality has been fixed in some ways by my brain, and that it may be slightly different from the person next to me. I am, however, very uneasy with the idea that it is possible for my brain to shut itself off when it is emotionally overwhelmed. Should we be worried about the reliability of our brains?