What Is The Overall Process Of Memory Formation

Memory is divided into three categories. These categories consist of: sensory memory, short term memory and long term memory, out of these short term memory is the main focus in this essay. It has been widely researched due to interest of how much memory can be stored, how long this memory can be stored for and what information is memorised.

“Information flows from the outside world through our sight, hearing smelling, tasting and touch sensors. Memory is simply ways we store and recall things we 've sensed.” When we recall memories, the original neuron path that we used to sense the experience that we are recalling is refined, and the connection is made stronger. Sensory information in stored for only a few seconds in the cortex of the brain. This information can then progress to short-term memory, and then long-term memory, depending on the importance of the information received.

Memory refers to the persistence of learning in a state that can be revealed at a later time (Squire, 1987). A memory is a network of neocortical neurons and the connections that link them. That network is formed by experience as a result of the concurrent activation of neuronal ensembles that

Research has shown that there is “greater activation in the left inferior frontal and medial temporal lobes” (Stanford, 2006, p. 208) during the encoding of words which were later remembered as compared to those which were forgotten. The sensations perceived by sensory nerves are decoded in the hippocampus of the brain into a single experience (Mastin, 2010). The hippocampus analyses new information and compares and asssociates it with previously stored memory (Mastin, 2010). Human memory is associative in that new information can be remembered better if it can be associated to previously acquired, firmly consolidated information (Mastin, 2010). The various pieces of information are then stored in different parts of the brain (Mastin, 2010). Though the exact method by which this information is later identified and recalled has yet to be discovered, it is understood that ultra-short term sensory memory is converted into short term memory which can then later be consolidated into long term memory (Mastin, 2010).

Memory is a capacity that humans rely upon to relate to different events, experiences, conditions, and people. It is a vitally important process and system whereby the brain receives information from (external or internal) stimuli, stores it (encoding), and makes it available on a future occasion (retrieval). It provides continuity to people’s experiences across different periods of time.

Extensive research in the field of memory and cognition have provided substantial evidence to prove that the hippocampus is a critical brain mechanism in the role of memory. Although an ongoing debate specifically in memory retrieval is the exact role of this brain structure when extracting memories. There are multiple models of the neural basis of memory retrieval that have posed a hypothesis to answer this exact question. The two theories that are dominant in this debate are the Multiple Trace Theory (MTT) proposed by Nadel and Moscovitch in 1997 and the Standard Model of Systems Consolidation

In recent years, much debate and research has occurred over the process of memory reconsolidation. Understanding the processes that underlie memory formation retrieval and storage is key to understanding and guiding treatment for patients with conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder. This essay discusses the processes of consolidation and how that impacts on reconsolidation and the implications of this knowledge on patients suffering posttraumatic stress disorder.

Memory is both an essential, yet complex, psychological process that relies on numerous neuroanatomical structures, including parts of the prefrontal cortex, cerebral cortex, temporal lobe, amygdala, cerebellum, basal ganglia, and the hippocampus, just to name a few. However, almost all areas of the human brain are connected to the systematic functioning of memory. According to Okano, Hirano, & Balaban (2000), differentiation between the process of memory and the process of learning is important in order understanding the neurobiological aspects of memory, although both are very closely connected. The researchers define memory as a behavioral modification resulting from innate experiences, while the act of learning is more of a process for

The process by which the mind stores information for later use is called memory. For us to understand how memory works, we need to understand the process by which memories are formed. This process consists of three major stages; encoding, storage and retrieval. Firstly, in order to form new memories, information must first be converted into a usable form, this is called encoding. Once encoded, the information is then stored within the memory system, that can later be recovered or recalled to consciousness. This final stage is called retrieval.

Learning is a very important aspect of humans and creatures alike. Not only is it essential to the survival and adaption into this world but it also defines who we are as individuals (Schiller et al, 2010; Tronson & Taylor, 2007). Memories from past experiences shape the people that we are today. A crucial element to learning is memory, without it we would not be able to retain information. The process of memory is very distinct and consists of several different stages: acquisition of memory, consolidation, retrieval and then either reconsolidation or extinction (Debiec & Ledoux, 2004; Diergaarde, Schoffelmeer & De Vries, 2008). As memory is such a critical aspect of learning, it is no wonder that its distinct process has become the topic of much research in the neurobiological universe (Hupbach et al, 2007; Nader & Hardt, 2009).

Under normal circumstances, several parts of the brain process our memories. Some of the more influential parts of the

Neuroscience widely recognised that memories undertake the process of consolidation (Nader & Einarsson, 2010). When memories are nascent, they are prone to interference and are considered ‘labile’. However, through the ensuing process of protein synthesis, they later become stabilised. Subsequently, the respective disruptions would initiate no detriment (Dudai, 2012). Historically, consolidation was thought to be the process by which unstable short term memories are transferred into fixed state long term memories (Nader & Einarsson, 2010). Nader Schafe & LaDoux (2000) challenged this concept suggesting it is possible memories become once again unstable. This notion facilitated a shift in research toward the inherent malleability of memories (Dudai, 2012). It is now widely embraced in neuroscience that two consolidation processes exist; synaptic consolidation and system consolidation (Nader & Einarsson, 2010). Synaptic consolidation refers to the process of transforming a memory into long-term form at local nodes in the neural circuit that encodes the memory (Dudai, 2012). This process

With these results at hand, Nadar proposed the reconsolidation theory. Per the theory, Nadar hypothesized that when a memory is retrieved, the synapses that are responsible for marinating the trace become weekend (or undone), signifying that retrieval alone may disrupt an established memory trace. To make up for this supposed disruption, the second part of Nadar’s theory states that the retrieval initiates a round of protein synthesis in order to allow the memory trace to be reconsolidated. That is, Nadar’s proposition indicates that reconsolidation is a completely separate operation that occurs as a result of memory retrieval. While it may technically mimic the underlying processes of standard consolidation, as a process, reconsolidation is an entirely independent

The human body is a complex machine with many different ways of keeping us alive, as well as allowing us to function properly. From the heart knowing when and how many times to beat, the lungs providing us with oxygen to breathe and even our glands knowing when to provide us with sweat to keep the body from overheating. The brain or the control center, is responsible for many actions throughout the body, one being memory. Memory can be defined as the brain or mind storing and later recollecting information (Merriam-Webster, 2016). So how exactly does the memory process work? There are three stages in the memory process; encoding, storage and retrieval.

The concept of the Dual-Store Model of Memory was proposed by psychologists Richkard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin with three components: Sensory Register, Working (Short-Term) Memory, and Long-Term Memory (Ormrod, 2016, p. 164). These components combined make up the entirety of the memory, but each have unique and vital roles that they play in the memory. The sensory register is a massive bank of storage that holds memories of senses - sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and how something feels (touch), but it does not store memories for any considerable length of time. The senses that are held here are processed and then they move on to the next component (Ormrod, 2016, pp. 165-167). An example of the sensory register could be the birds I just saw flying past my window. These birds flew through the air one moment, and then they were gone the next