07/31/2023
Memory and the Brain–How Does It Work?
Memory is the processing, storage, and recall of information. Your brain is always deciding what information is worth storing—and for how long. For example, you probably can’t remember every item on last month’s grocery list, but as you wrote it, you easily recalled what was missing from your pantry. And yet there are likely events from years ago—decades, even—that you remember with perfect clarity.
This recall is controlled by your long-term and short-term memory. Short-term memories are only stored for a brief period of time—usually a matter of seconds or minutes. While long-term memories are stored more or less permanently.
This leads us to the big, looming question: how are these memories stored?
Different regions of your brain perform separate tasks. Olfaction (your sense of smell), for instance, is handled in your brain’s temporal lobe. But visual processing takes place in the occipital lobe. Your memories often include diverse details like visual, auditory, and other sensory information—not to mention the associated emotions. Because of this, the rich variety of information that makes up a memory is stored throughout your brain.
So how does your brain keep track of all of these pieces? Enter the hippocampus. This brain structure is found deep in the temporal lobe. And it’s responsible to keep a running index of your memories and their elemental parts.
The final piece of the memory puzzle is the one we’re most familiar with: recall. So how exactly do you summon up stored memories? The answer: neural pathways. Your brain is made up of neurons using electrical and chemical signals to transmit information. With each new experience, multiple regions of your brain connect and communicate to create a new and unique neural pathway. When you remember something, your brain is simply recreating this pathway as a memory.
Why Does Memory Deteriorate
As mentioned, memory may naturally decline with age. This doesn’t necessarily mean your ability to form new memories is declining, but rather your brain’s ability to recall existing memories slows down. This is, in part, due to the deterioration of neurons in your brain.
With age, the communication between neurons that’s crucial to memory recall can become less efficient. It is not that your brain can no longer form the necessary neurological pathways, the process just takes a little longer than it used to.
Of course, other outside factors can also impact your ability to recall memories. These include sleep deprivation, stress, head trauma, and other neurological conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
https://askthescientists.com/learn-how-to-keep-your-memory-sharp/
