The Mystery of Memory

Summary

The sciences of memory are not very old, they appeared about a century ago. There are two types of memory: short-term and long-term. Short-term memory lasts just for few seconds and most of it is lost. However, the bits of short-term memory that we remember gets transferred into long-term memory. Moreover, there is another type of memory called "working memory". It appears in remembering processes and it consists of declarative memory and procedural memory (or just remembering "how"). The latter one is more stable than the declarative memory. In fact, even people who have Alzheimer's disease can use the procedural memory properly. They remember how to ride a bike even if they cannot remember what the bike is. 

Recognition and recall are other memory distinctions. It is always easier to recognize people when you see them, than trying to recall someone's face from your memory. For example, if somebody shows someone a bunch of objects at the same time, it is difficult for him or her to remember what they have seen. In fact, it is complicated for an average person to recall more than 15 objects. However, if somebody shows the same person objects or pictures one after another, weeks later there is a possibility that he or she will recognize 10 000 or even more pictures or objects correctly. Finally, everyone of us has photographic memory. This memory is snapshot - like fragments, usually from our childhood, that are associated with tastes, smells or colors. Children below the age of 8 usually use photographic memory and as we get older, most of us lose the ability to use it. 

A human brain contains approximately 100 billion nerve cells and each of these nerve cells is capable of making up to 100 000 connections with the neighbors. It is though that a new memory is made when a new pattern of connections is created. This is where the memory is stored. When a person tries to remember the name of someone, he or she usually tries to think of the place where they have met, the clothes that the person was wearing or other features. These features that we try to remember are access points to different regions of the brain, where the memory of the missing name is stored. 

Overall, is it still uncertain for neuroscientists how different regions of the brain and the processes of it are bonded together that gives us comprehensible experiences. 

References:

http://s1.favim.com/orig/19/anatomy-brain-fernndo-vicente-luxury-neck-Favim.com-200280.jpg (looked at 2012.03.19)

http://s1.favim.com/orig/20/camera-drawing-memory-Favim.com-203842.jpg (looked at 2012.03.19)

http://s3.favim.com/orig/40/bike-cute-girl-lights-pretty-Favim.com-336298.jpg (looked at 2012.03.19)