What is memory?
Memory is the brain's ability to retain information and retrieve it voluntarily. It is what allows us to remember facts, ideas, sensations, relationships between concepts and all types of stimuli that occurred in the past. The hippocampus is the brain structure most related to memory, although memories cannot be located at a specific point in the brain, since a large number of brain areas are involved.
Memory types
Since memory acts in most everyday situations, different theories and divisions have been created about this cognitive ability, the strains can be divided according to different criteria:
Depending on the time the information remains in the system: it refers to sensory memory, short-term memory, working memory and long-term memory; All these types of memory work in a coordinated manner so that the system works correctly.
Depending on the type of information: such as verbal memory, which is responsible for retaining information with verbal content (words read or heard) and non-verbal memory (images, sounds...)
Depending on the sensory organ used: it depends on the stimulated sense, visual memory (vision), auditory memory (hearing), olfactory memory (smell), gustatory memory (taste) and haptic memory (touch).
Memory phases
Encoding: By paying attention to the perception of stimuli, information is incorporated into our system, which can later be remembered.
Storage: the information is stored in our memory system, forming part of the previous learning obtained from the previous step.
Retrieval – When past information is needed, the stored memory is accessed and retrieved.
Disorders associated with memory
Memory can be altered due to a neurodegenerative disease (dementia and Alzheimer's), acquired brain damage (traumatic brain injury, stroke, infections and other diseases), congenital problems (such as cerebral palsy or different syndromes), psychological and mental disorders. mood (such as schizophrenia, or depression and anxiety), substance use (drugs and medications), as well as learning disorders (such as ADHD, dyslexia or dyscalculia).
The most common type of memory alteration consists of memory loss, this is known as amnesia, which can be anterograde (inability to incorporate new memories) and retrograde (inability to access past memories). Confabulations consist of the involuntary invention of memories (Korsakoff Syndrome), or hypermnesias, which consist of involuntary access to vivid and detailed memories, as occurs in flashbacks of post-traumatic stress disorder.
How to improve and stimulate memory
Brain plasticity is the basis for the rehabilitation of memory and other cognitive abilities. The brain and its neuronal connections are strengthened with the use of the functions that depend on them, so that, if memory is exercised, the connections neural networks of the brain structures involved will be strengthened.
There are different options and offers of training and evaluation programs available online, with a personalized program and daily exercise guide, with recommendations from personnel specialized in the field who can give advice on how to strengthen our memory.
Thanks for your reading.
Psic Ylenia Abril López - Tu espacio mental
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