By: Shrika Lakshmi Vulligaddala
Memories are how your brain stores information about things that have happened to you. They are like mental snapshots that help us remember experiences, facts, and even skills.
By simplifying the process, Memories are formed in three steps :
Encoding: When you go through something new or interesting, your brain captures bits and pieces of information. This involves senses, emotions or how you use your body.
Storage: Not everything gets permanently stored.The brain strengthens connections between brain cells to hold onto important information. This divides our memory into short-term and long-term.
Retrieval: When you remember something, it's like following that mental pathway again. Sometimes something in the present can trigger a memory, like a familiar smell or a song that reminds you of a certain time in your life.
The Types of Memories :
Short - term : Also called working memory, is like the scratchpad of your mind. It lets you hold onto information for a brief period and manipulate it in some way. They don't last more than a couple of seconds if it is not rehearsed.
Long - term : These memories are stored for a longer duration and can be vivid details or general impressions of an event. When you experience something important or interesting, your brain strengthens the connections between brain cells to create a long-term memory.
How does the Brain store these Memories ?
The human brain reshapes itself with each new memory. This happens through the actions of synapses, or the tiny gaps between brain cells. Brain cells, or neurons, communicate with each other through an elegant electrochemical system. A change in the electrical charge of one cell triggers the release of chemicals called neurotransmitters across synapses. The neurotransmitters are then taken up by the neuron on the other side of the gap, where they trigger electrical changes in that cell.
The more frequent these communications are, the deeper the memories are stored, meaning they go into the long-term memory unit.
When they rarely communicate, their bond weakens, and sometimes they stop communicating altogether, which gives rise to short-term memory problems.
Where are these Memories stored ?
The exact location of memories in the brain is a complex question that researchers are still exploring. It's likely that memories aren't stored in a single place, but rather involve changes in the connections between brain cells throughout different regions.
Though the most important is the hippocampus, which is actually a pair of regions tucked deep in the brain and curled into themselves like seahorses. These paired regions are important for initial memory formation and play a key role in the transfer of memories from short-term storage to long-term storage.
Other brain regions are involved in processing different aspects of a memory, such as the visual cortex for visual details or the emotional centers for feelings associated with the memory.
When you remember something, it's like your brain is reactivating the network of connections that were involved in the original experience.
The mysteries of memory
The formation of new neurons also plays an important role in memory storage, even in adult brains. Scientists used to think that the brain stopped producing new neurons after adolescence, but research in the past two decades has shown that not only do adult brains make new neurons, but these neurons are key for learning and memory.
A 2019 study in the journal ‘Cell Stem Cell’ found that the hippocampus continues to generate new neurons even in people who are in their 80s and 90s.
Understanding how memory works is important for moving toward treatment of diseases like Alzheimer's, which causes memory loss. Understanding some of the quirks of memory can also help improve memory.
Focusing on ways to improve our Memory :
Be physically active every day
Stay mentally active
Spend time with others
Sleep well
Eat a healthy diet
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