Studies on memory have been at the center of the scientific world for a long time. Robert Logie, professor of human cognitive neuroscience at Edinburgh University and an authority on memory, made statements about the latest research. “This can be a vicious circle, because if you focus on the negative aspects, it will exacerbate your depression,” says Robert Logie, talking about the results of the negative effects of memories on the brain.
GREAT FALL
Recent research by King’s College London and the University of Exeter found that people over the age of 50 who were anxious or depressed at the height of the pandemic experienced a decline in memory function equivalent to the effects of six years of aging. “We think memory is a problem in dementia, but it’s a problem in many disorders of the brain, including post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health problems,” says Jack Mellor, professor of neuroscience at the University of Bristol.
MOBILITY CREATED BY MEMORY IN THE BRAIN
A memory is not a fleeting feeling or idea. It is a physical thing made up of connections called synapses that form between nerve cells or neurons in your brain. Each synapse has a neurotransmitter (a signaling molecule) that fires chemical messengers across the gap to the next neuron. These connections between neurons multiply in the hours after an event, before the memory is filed, until you want to remember it.
The less you remember something, the weaker these synaptic connections become, and the harder it is to bring the memory itself to mind clearly. When you remember something, most of these connections are triggered until a full memory is complete.
Scientists are still unraveling many of the finer details of how memories work, but recent advances suggest we may be very close to finding simple ways to improve our recall.
WAYS TO STRENGTHEN MEMORY
- Balanced diet
- walking, exercise, sports, swimming
- mental activity
- reduce stress
- Regular sleep
- Don’t think about more than one thing, don’t focus on one thing