How does our memory work?

How does our mind work? Why do some people remember everything in details (episodic memory), and someone recognizes only the most significant facts from the past (semantic memory)? For the first time, studies have shown that different ways of experiencing the past events in the memory are related to the individual types of the brain connections that determine the kind of person’s mind.

Scientists of the Rothman Research Institute conducted a study of 66 healthy people (with the average age of 24 years old). Young people were asked to fill out an online survey called Survey of Autobiographical Memory (SAM), which helped determine how well they remembered autobiographical events and facts from the past life. Participants demonstrated the opposite results. All participants were divided into two groups - people with a high level of autobiographical memory and a low level of autobiographical memory. The results of the survey allowed the researchers to study the memory types of the participants.

After the filling out an online survey, scientists asked the participants to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging test that showed the patterns of connections in the brain and correlation activity of its different regions.

The researchers studied the relationships between the medial temporal lobe of the brain and its other parts. The medial temporal lobe provides the memory function. The results were amazing! The medial temporal lobe of persons with the high results of the test showed a connection with the posterior part of the brain, responsible for visual processes. The medial temporal lobe of the persons from the 2nd group demonstrated the contact with the anterior brain region, responsible for organization and reasoning processes.

There are interesting questions related to aging and brain health. Can this information be useful to fight against the age-related cognitive impairments?

"People who use detailed memories can be susceptible to subtle memory changes with age, while those who rely on the actual approach may be more persistent to such changes," says study author Dr. Brian Levin.

According to Dr. Levin, the results of the research offer exciting opportunities that require further scientific investigations.

Now the scientists research the influence of memory on the formation of personality, mental disorders, productivity, cognitive possibilities.