WHERE DO MEMORIES LIVE? ?
Memory is the capability of the brain to hold onto the past or currently happening events and different pieces of information, so they can be utilised in the future, at the time of need.
Researchers have been able to trace memory down to the structural and even the molecular level in recent years.
Showing that memories are stored throughout many brain structures in the connections between neurons, and can even depend on a single molecule for their long-term stability.
The brain stores memories in two ways:
-Short-term
-Long-term
Short-term memories like a possible chess move, or a hotel room number are processed in the front of the brain.
Examples of long-term memory include recollection of an important day in the distant past (early birthday, graduation, wedding, etc).
Short-term recollection is translated into long-term memory in the hippocampus, an area in the deeper brain.
In a brain scan, scientists see these different regions of the brain light up when someone is recalling an episode of memory, demonstrating how memories represent an index of these different recorded sensations and thoughts.
Useful resource – TED Talks video: Building memories in the brain – https://tinyurl.com/yy5jgtrn