cost This is exactly how your memory works By Julie Schwartzbard, MD 9/21/2017 How is it that you remember clear details of your eighth birthday party but can t recall the name of someone you met just five minutes ago? While our memory technically allows us to remember a nearly endless stream of information, the process of recall can seem very selective, even mystifying. But with all its quirks, your memory is a still a wonder. Each day it registers, sorts, categorizes and stores hundreds of thousands of bits of information using these processes: 1. Acquisition you learn or experience something new 2. Consolidation the memory of the acquired information lodges in your brain 3. Recall after sleeping on it, your brain allows you access to the memory of that information How you absorb, store and recall information In case you didn t know, there are lots of different kinds of memory. The two main types are short term memory (STM) and long term memory (LTM) and they work together to make a lasting memory. Short term memory All memories start as short-termers. STM sets off specific firing patterns in the neurons in your brain s prefrontal lobe. When that neuronal firing pattern is repeated, the brain stores the information as an LTM for retrieval. It s sort of like a chain reaction associated with a specific collection of mini information events. If the information is not repeated during STM, because of a distraction or interruption, it may be lost for good. Long term memory (LTM) LTM is memory that you store, use and retain like food you keep in the fridge, take out for a while and then put back in to eat later. The hippocampus near the center of the brain turns STM into LTM and makes memories stick. The neocortex, on the outer surface of the brain, stores LTMs. Memory-making may seem linear until you realize just how important emotional connections to information are when creating a LTM. There are quite a few other sub-types of memory underpinning what on the surface looks like a fairly mechanical process, and these are less understood by science: Working memory Working memory manages STM and includes verbal and visual features that are like little memos attached to the bigger memory file. Conscious memory This is what your brain knows and is able to find, retrieve and produce when you need it. Your brain holds much more information than you re aware of or could ever access. Subconscious memory This is made up of thoughts, sensations, and feelings that your brain can t retrieve instantly. Explicit or declarative memory Part of conscious memory, this is information you remember and know because it is based in fact: what you did last night, where you were born, and Washington D.C. is the capitol of the US. Implicit memory This type of memory includes behaviors and actions things you don t have to think about to recall. It s experience-based stuff, like how to read or ride a bike. Immediate memory This is information that s only stored for a few seconds, like sounds or a short number sequence. Its span varies from person to person. You can improve your memory in many ways, but in the end, the brain will decide what you remember. It says yes to certain knowledge, but ditches other information along the way, either on purpose or because it simply wasn t all that memorable to begin with. Your memory can help you pass a test, remember what a Madeline cookie tastes like, and protect you from recalling earlier destructive events by blurring their edges. I guess you can say it s doing its best to take care of your mind, and your soul. So maybe memory isn t that mysterious after all! References http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-deprivation-effects-on-memory http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/geopedia/Memory http://discovermagazine.com/2011/sep/18-your-brain-knows-lot-more-than-you-realize http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/subconscious+memory http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/benefits-of-sleep/learning-memory http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/memory-loss/Pages/Introduction.aspx http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3429116/ one more
lack of information This is exactly how your memory works is quite
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