Sing, So You Dont Forget Your Shoes!

I recently read this article, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, exploring a man with severe visual deficits on higher-level visualization of external stimuli. He could describe the geometry and attributes of a rose, but it appeared as a foreign, completely unknown object until he smelled its familiar and poignant smell. He struggled to eat, dress himself, and complete inability to recognize people.

This man, however, appeared to be happy and navigated his world with relatively little trouble for how great a deficit he faced. In the story, his wife claims, "I put his usual clothes out, in all the usual places, and he dresses without difficulty, singing to himself. He does everything singing to himself. But if he is interrupted and loses the thread, he comes to a complete stop, doesn't know his clothes -- or his own body. He sings all the time-cating songs, dressing songs, bathing songs, everything. He can't do anything unless he makes it a song." 

I immediately thought of neuroaesthetics. I think it is important to note, that this man was a well-trained and well-established musician, having taught and performed singing for years. I simply was reminded of how, even in a life without major visual deficits, people often sing to remember things; people create rhythms and rhymes to study, to teach children, for pretty much anything. 

I am interested in seeing more neuroaesthetics research and understanding of memory and passive vs active recall of those memories.