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Memory Systems
“It doesn’t erase what happened to you. It just changes the impact it has on your life.”
Only humans can voluntarily conjure new objects and events in our minds.
Forgetfulness isn't always a "glitch" in our memories; it can be a tool to help us make sense of the present and plan for the future.
In a study involving mice, scientists used two different techniques — one optogenetic and one pharmacologic — to recover "lost" memories.
Compared to people who took a placebo, the brains of those who took caffeine pills had a temporarily smaller gray matter volume.
Over time, different structures in the brain come to play unique roles in the storage and retrieval of long-term memories.
To prevent overloading the memory system, the brain may have a mechanism that tosses out certain types of memories.
A recent study reveals how nerve insulation becomes impaired in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
Their neurons are very different from "normal" people.
The answer may depend on your lifestyle.
This opens the door to manipulating networks of specific neurons.
Psychologists are exploring this creepy feeling of having already lived through an experience before.
The DARPA-funded memory prosthesis helps the brain retain new information.
There's no escaping the death of loved ones. But that doesn't mean we're powerless in the wake of loss.
Fiona Broome remembered Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s (he didn't). Oddly, many people had the same false memory.
But don't buy your own brain zapping machine, yet.
The phenomenon of “digital dementia” might not be real after all.
A new study shows that political partisans are more likely to remember things that didn't happen — as long as it fits their narrative.
It might be good for your memory.
Does memory start to work only at a certain age?
Humans who've lived through the same events often remember them differently. Could quantum physics be responsible?
Nostalgia is a happy remembrance of the past, yet it also leaves us feeling sad. Perhaps ironically, it can serve as a painkiller.
Two aspects of memory – fast updating and long lasting – are typically considered incompatible, yet the insects combined them.
Kids' underdeveloped brains seem to help them acquire new languages with little effort.
The first recorded brain activity of a person during their death suggests a biological trigger for near-death experiences.
Whenever you're surprised, there's a good chance that your brain is busy tweaking your memories.
Memory errors may actually indicate a way in which the human cognitive system is “optimal” or “rational.”
Music therapy might boost memory, but the benefits are small. Just in case, tell your grandparents to listen to their favorite 1960s tunes.