Memory is how the brain takes information captured by our senses and turns it into experiences that can be stored and remembered in the future.
Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
Memories start with perception and are processed in the hippocampus. Different types of memories use different brain regions, and episodic memory, which is involved in recalling one's life events, is more susceptible to decay than semantic memory, which is involved in general information.
Our brains create memories by taking in sensory input, filtering it through short-term memory, and storing it in long-term memory. Emotional events are more likely to become vivid, lasting memories because they activate stronger neural connections.
Often formed due to suggestion and misinformation, false memories can lead to serious consequences, such as wrongful convictions. The time between an event and recalling it affects one's susceptibility to false memories.
Scientists have successfully implanted false memories in mice after studying how the editing process works in the brain. Beyond potentially deleting memories in those with PTSD, upcoming research may allow clinicians to forecast the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.
These forms of memory, which can overlap in daily life, have been sorted into broad categories, such as short-term and long-term memory, and subtypes such as implicit memory, which uses saved information without conscious awareness that it’s being recalled.
Lasting seconds before moving into short-term memory or being forgotten, sensory memory aids in environmental awareness and navigation. Key brain regions involved include auditory, somatosensory, gustatory, visual, and olfactory cortices.
Short-term memory stores info for 15 to 30 seconds and is managed by the prefrontal cortex. Though they're often confused, short-term memory stores information, while working memory actively uses it to help you reason, learn, and solve problems, such as a math equation.
New research shows that long-term memories can still develop even when short-term memory formation is blocked, suggesting the brain uses separate pathways for short- and long-term memory. This discovery could help scientists open new avenues for treating memory loss in diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Retrieval cues can activate specific cells in a neural network, creating a cascade of neurons that collectively make up a memory. Specific cues help regulate emotions during stress by activating positive memories.
Memory isn't one uniform function—it's made up of multiple systems, like declarative (facts/events) and non-declarative (skills/habits), which involve different brain areas such as the hippocampus, amygdala, and cerebellum.
Since the time our ancient human relatives began using stone tools to perform tasks, humans have harnessed scientific knowledge and new technologies to advance our ability to feed ourselves, increase our health, expand the boundaries of our knowledge, and much more. From artificial intelligence and quantum computing, to optimizing the human body in pursuit of a long and healthy life, and much more—learn about these topics and more with our smart-but-digestible overviews and expert-curated resources.