Since we’ve been on the topic of memories the past few weeks, I thought we could top it off with a logical look at how it all works in our brains. Something that is rather difficult to do, since the scientists themselves are still searching – not to mention that it is very complex. Scientists have a good grasp on what occurs and which parts of the brain are being used, but we cannot at this point “see” a memory, so much of how it all works is still a mystery.
Our brains are made up of a web of neurons, and a memory is an arrangement of connections between those neurons. [Definition break: the neuron is the basic working unit of the brain, a specialized cell designed to transmit information to other nerve cells, muscle, or gland cells.] Because our brains are a web and not a straight path, there isn’t any way to search the brain in a linear way. This means that memories can only be consciously remembered when they are prompted. Basically, we remember one thing when we are thinking about something else that’s connected to that web of association. Let’s say you go to a store and see someone you recognize, but you can’t remember their name. If you can recall the place where you would normally see them, like a bank for instance, you might recall their name. The placement memory may well cue the memory of the name of the person.
I could get into all the parts of the brain – which is quite miraculous and fascinating – but this is a blog and not a scientific journal, so I’ll just mention that the part of the brain that stores memories is the neocortex – the outer wrinkly-looking layer. Using our brains physically changes them (neuroplasticity). New neurons can form, and connections can rearrange. A study of London cabbies-in-training showed that the section of their brains responsible for spatial navigation were 7% larger than the average person’s because they spent so much time memorizing the city’s layout.
The two different types of individual memories are Declarative and Nondeclarative. It breaks down even further, but I’m going to let you google this. (Not a Science Journal.) I will relate that declarative memories are conscious memories, like knowing what our name is. Whereas nondeclarative memories are unconscious memories – such as how to ride a bike. Once you’ve learned it, you don’t have to think about how you’re doing it.
There are at least two different systems on how the brain stores memories: Working and Long-Term Memory. The working memory keeps track of your current focus and surroundings. If there is something in the way of your path, it holds on to the memory of the item only until you get around it. If the brain decides something is relevant, it will store it more permanently. The working memory can only hold on to five to nine different things at once. With the magnitude of the brain, that seems slim. However, knowing how few things I can deal with at one time, it doesn’t surprise me. Long-term memory stores things you need to remember for longer than a few moments, possibly for a lifetime, such as your birthday.
Internal and External Memories – the brain keeps information within, but we also create memory aids in the form of books, calendars, etc. The best part of external memories is that they can be shared beyond our own lifetime (what last week’s blog was about). Which is important as we modern people tend to rely more on the external memories (google/Alexa, phone calendars, notes, etc.). However, the science of Neuroprosthetics may someday allow direct communication between the brain and a machine. Something that is already beginning to exist. An example being cochlear implants that allow the deaf to hear.
And, by the way, we can quit worrying about losing our memory abilities when we seem to be getting forgetful (I’ve always been forgetful, haven’t you?). The recent neuroscience news regarding forgetfulness is that it is not only normal, but a neurological advantage. As I said above, the brain decides what is important and what isn’t important for long term memories. If you consider all the stimuli we are continuously exposed to and imagine that if we held every moment and every minor detail, name, etc. in our brains, we’d have an overload of information swirling around in our heads. The cool thing is all the information is never lost, but the brain limits our ability to access it. So, use those external memory aids, and don’t beat yourself up if you think you’re forgetful. Chances are your brain is just automatically taking care of you.
I’m going to leave it there as it is such a deep subject, but I’ll add a list of ways to help increase our memories below. Keep using your brain, folks. Keep creating new neurons and rearranging what’s up there. Our brains are key to our ability to function.
1. Eat plenty of green vegetables and those in the cruciferous (cabbage) family, as well as blueberries, raspberries, apples, and dark-colored grapes as they feed the brain.
2. Get more sleep (7-9 hours). Sleep is when your brain can solidify the connections between neurons. (Go to bed a little earlier, if you need to – and turn those screens, phones, etc. off!)
3. Exercise (cardiovascular) at least three times a week – 20 to 30 minutes; it improves memory and can cause new connections to sprout between neurons in the hippocampus (the section of the brain considered primarily involved in storing long-term memories).
4. Meditate: it improves your concentration and focus, which benefits memory.
5. Do something different! Even taking a different route to work. It can help our recall, as we retain things after better a novel experience. It kick-starts the short-term process into the long-term and we’re better able to remember what happens next (like a meeting at work).
6. Watch your medications. Some affect memory.
7. Use it or lose it. Challenge your brain with word or number puzzles, reading, learning, and so forth. You’re much more likely to be cognitively active as you age.
[Sources: Shortform – Science of Memory: What, How & Why We Remember/Carrie Cabral; www.inc.com – Bill Murphy Jr.; Nature Reviews Neuroscience; Better by Today – How to Improve Your Memory, According to Neuroscience]
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