Editing 50 First Dates (section)

==Depiction of amnesia==
[[Anterograde amnesia]] is a condition where one loses the ability to form new memories after damage to the brain. Damage to the hippocampus, which is located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain, has been widely associated as a determining factor of the gravity of the condition.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=Christine N. |date=July 28, 2014 |title=Retrograde memory for public events in mild cognitive impairment and its relationship to anterograde memory and neuroanatomy. |journal=Neuropsychology |language=en |volume=28 |issue=6 |pages=959–972 |doi=10.1037/neu0000117 |issn=1931-1559 |pmc=4227913 |pmid=25068664}}</ref>

In an article in ''[[The BMJ]]'' on depictions of amnesia in film, clinical neuropsychologist Sallie Baxendale writes that ''50 First Dates'' "maintains a venerable movie tradition of portraying an amnesic syndrome that bears no relation to any known neurological or psychiatric condition". True amnesic syndromes are usually a result of a stroke, brain infection, or neurosurgery; very rarely does amnesia result from just car accidents.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Baxendale |first=Sallie |date=December 18, 2004 |title=Memories aren't made of this: amnesia at the movies |url= |journal=BMJ |volume=329 |issue=7480 |pages=1480–1483 |doi=10.1136/bmj.329.7480.1480 |pmc=535990 |pmid=15604191}}</ref>

In one case, a British woman named Michelle Philpots suffered traumatic brain injuries after two motor vehicle accidents in 1985 then 1990. Subsequently, she developed epilepsy in 1994, which led to her anterograde amnesia. She does not remember anything subsequent to 1994 and also can suffer from shorter term memory loss on the timescale of minutes. Her condition caused her to be fired from her office job after photocopying a single document over and over again, having forgotten she had already completed the task.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-01-19 |title=The woman with amnesia whose true story inspired 50 First Dates |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/news/a48933/michelle-philpots-amnesia-true-story-50-first-dates/ |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=Cosmopolitan |language=en-GB}}</ref> Each morning, she wakes up believing it is 1994 and her husband, who she met prior to her accident, has to convince her of their 1997 marriage, using a photo album as proof.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-08-16 |title=Stuck in 1994, and more tales of extreme memory loss |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/health/body-odd/stuck-1994-more-tales-extreme-memory-loss-flna1C9386929 |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>

In 2010, researchers described a woman who developed a similar kind of memory impairment after she was involved in a car crash. She described her memory as being normal for events on the same day, with memories from the previous day subsequently being lost each night. However, a [[neuropsychological test]] revealed some improvement in recall for tasks which she had, unknowingly, performed the previous day. Although the woman claimed not to have seen ''50 First Dates'' prior to her 2005 crash (but has watched it several times since), she stated that Drew Barrymore was her favorite actress, leading researchers to conclude that her condition might have been influenced by some knowledge of the film's plot, and its impact upon her understanding of amnesia.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Christine N. Smith |author2=Jennifer C. Frascino |author3=Donald L. Kripke|author4=Paul R. McHugh |author5=Glenn J. Treisman|author6=Larry R. Squire|author6-link=Larry R. Squire |title=Losing memories overnight: a unique form of human amnesia |journal=[[Neuropsychologia]] |volume=48 |issue=10 |pages=2833–40 |date=May 2010 |pmid=20493889 |pmc=2914200 |doi=10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.05.025}}</ref>

In July 2015, two people were discovered to have a form of anterograde amnesia that resembles the type depicted in the movie. One is a man in the UK, originally from Germany. He wakes up every day thinking it is March 14, 2005, because that is the day he underwent anesthesia for a dental procedure which led to this condition as a rare, unexplained complication (however, his anterograde amnesia, like that of others with the condition, causes him to forget facts not daily, but within 90 minutes).<ref>{{cite news |title=Reverse Groundhog Day: U.K. man wakes up every day thinking it's March 14, 2005 and doctors have no idea why |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/world/reverse-groundhog-day-u-k-man-wakes-up-every-day-thinking-its-march-14-2005-and-doctors-have-no-idea-why |newspaper=National Post |date=July 17, 2015 |author=Sarah Kaplan |access-date=July 18, 2015 |archive-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250507095535/https://nationalpost.com/news/world/reverse-groundhog-day-u-k-man-wakes-up-every-day-thinking-its-march-14-2005-and-doctors-have-no-idea-why |url-status=live}}</ref> The other is a woman who reportedly believes every day is October 15, 2014; she was visiting [[Kettering General Hospital]] for a [[kickboxing]] injury when she slipped and hit her head on a metal pole.<ref>{{cite news |title=Groundhog Day: Woman with rare amnesia wakes up thinking every day is October 15, 2014 |url=http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Groundhog-Day-Woman-rare-amnesia-wakes-thinking/story-26919880-detail/story.html |url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721145107/http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Groundhog-Day-Woman-rare-amnesia-wakes-thinking/story-26919880-detail/story.html | archive-date=July 21, 2015|publisher=Plymouth Herald |date=July 17, 2015 |author=Plymouth Herald}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Amnesia sufferer Nikki Pegram loses benefit|date=September 8, 2015|publisher=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-34185594|access-date=July 21, 2018|archive-date=February 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209005915/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-34185594|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Real-world application===
In 2015, [[RiverSpring Living|the Hebrew Home]] of [[Riverdale, Bronx]], had started an experimental program in which residents with early [[dementia]] watch a video every morning wherein they see comforting messages and reminders from family members who they may still know. The program was to be evaluated for potential inclusion of more residents. Robert Abrams of [[NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital]] considered this idea "both innovative and thoughtful". Charlotte Dell, director of social services for the home, said the program was inspired by ''50 First Dates''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Idea from Adam Sandler film used to soothe dementia patients|url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/adam-sandler-dementia-fifty-first-dates-movie-patient-hebrew-home-riverdale-new-york-hospital/1229520|work=[[NBC New York]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=April 20, 2015|author=Jim Fitzgerald|access-date=May 24, 2020|archive-date=September 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918061201/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/adam-sandler-dementia-fifty-first-dates-movie-patient-hebrew-home-riverdale-new-york-hospital/1229520/|url-status=live}}</ref>