Disrupting the Consolidation of Memories Head injuries are common in football and many other sports. For example, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril (#56), below, was diagnosed with a concussion and forced to leave the Super Bowl after a collision with a New York Patriots player. In one study, football players who were questioned immediately after a concussion or other head injury could remember how they were injured and the name of the play just performed. But if questioned 30 minutes later for the same information, they could not. Because the head injury had disrupted the memory consolidation process, the memories were permanently lost (Yarnell & Lynch, 1970).
AP Photo/Kevin Terrell