Everyone forgets…wait what???
Article: 5 ways of everyday memory loss
Have you ever experienced a “brain fart” or walked into a room forgetting why you were there? Maybe you were listening to a song on the radio that you had never heard before, but were able to recall the words? I may have come across an article that sheds light on just how easy it is to experience memory loss or recall things that you never knew of.
Have you ever been in your car and forgot something in your house, then after walking through the door immediately forget what you came inside for? This phenomenon happens to approximately 2.3 million people at least once a year. The specific type of memory that is being forgotten is categorized as short-term memory. In our course online lecture the term is defined as memory that allows you to remember about 3-7 items for about 15-30 seconds (Goldstein, 2011). Apparently, walking through a doorway is one of the things that will cause the brain to kind of restart (Live Science, 2014). The brain recognizes there is a new surrounding environment. So, in order to make space for the new incoming information the last group of items remembered that were no longer needed is forgotten.
Another way people may lose memory is through having sex. Although, not as common as walking through a door it can happen. When people are having sex transient global amnesia can occur (Live Science, 2014). This is when an individual experiences memory fog or a “brain fart”. People can even have problems remembering the day prior. There hasn’t been any recent research indicating a correlation to the amnesia and brain damage.
In 2013, a strange case in the journal Frontiers of Neurology came to light showing how memory can live on longer than expected. The particular type of memory involved in this case is labeled as long term memory. Long term memory goes through a deep level of processing to be stored in the brain for later reclamation (Goldstein, 2011). What occurred that made this case so peculiar was the patient being observed had a musical hallucination (Live Science, 2014). The first ever recorded in medical history. The patient unconsciously sang a song that they claimed they had never heard before. However, when a person close to the patient was asked about the same song they said the patient had heard it before.
Can you recall childhood memories past the age of four? Well, most Americans are unable to do recall these memories and researchers feel it is a natural occurrence of memory loss called infantile amnesia. While the brain grows exponentially through those distinct years of age the brain has specific mechanisms that terminate those memories in order to make space for new memories in life (Live Science, 2014).
One more reason why you may experience memory loss is due to damage of the brain (Live Science, 2014). Especially, when the hippocampus is involved there is a much greater chance of it occurring. There a few cases of this occurring and being studied in the history of neurological science. In the case of patient H. M. who ended up losing their ability to create new memories. They had undergone a surgery that took out the hippocampus part of their brain. This was during a period of time where removing the hippocampus was associated with curing epilepsy. Another patient nicknamed E. P. lost the same ability while fighting a virus that caused the inflammation of their brain.
Memory is a complex element of the brain. Researchers still have a lot to learn about it to this day. Hopefully, this article explained to you memory loss whether mild or severe can be caused by a variety of reasons. Wait, what was I talking about?
URL link: http://www.livescience.com/44940-strange-facts-about-memory.html
References
Bahar, G. (April 18, 2014). Why you forget: 5 strange facts about memory. Live Science. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/44940-strange-facts-about-memory.html
Goldstein, B. Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research and Everyday Experience. Belmont, CA: Linda Schreiber-Ganster, 2011.