physorg.com— People may permanently store memories in their brains, even if they cannot consciously recall them, according to a study by Duke University Medical Center researchers.
May 25, 2006View in Crawl 4
Hey now, just because something has been "taught in high school psychology" for decades does not give the claim validity. (for hundreds/thousands of years people proclaimed the earth was the center fo the universe). The main reason that long-term memories were seen as "permanent" was because you can't show that they are gone. Without evidence for a claim, the claim remains suspect.This really depends on how one defines a "memory." If memory is represented as a pattern of activation (distributed) across a network of connections, then is the memory gone if a part of the network degrades? If so, what percent of the network would need to be degraded... and what criteria would be used to define "degraded?" (i.e., would a synaptic connection need to be completely eliminated to be defined as "degraded" and then some 25% (33? 50? 80? 100? percent) of the connections be degraded?If you look at a brain afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease the brain degrades; the amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles kill off the neurons. If degradation is the criterion, then certainly memories go away. If one requires 100 percent of the connections to be gone, leaving a remnant of the memory, then likely they would be considered to be permanent. Even in a "normal" brain (non-diseased) neurons die off. We have the most neurons when we are born, then there is synaptic pruning.... then there is an exuberance in early adolescence... followed by synaptic pruning during adolescence (followed by a decline in the number of neurons as the brain ages.).Memory consolidation is a long-term process that can extend years. If a memory does not become consolidated was it actually a memory? If it is "gone" but it never consolidated is the memory lost (can it be lost if it never was a memory!)It is rather sad that people don't see the complexity of the issue and see how "this is so obvious." So much to learn folks.
However, Jack Bauer does shoot you in the knee before asking. If you find this cruel, then you're just thinking in a pre 9.11 way. I mean he could have shot both your knees, and who f*cking cares if you're just a poor student passing by. You COULD be a terrorist, or otherwise why would he shoot in your knees?
elnerdoMay 26, 2006
I'm sure some people's brains just use ROT13.
Closed AccountMay 26, 2006
Hey now, just because something has been "taught in high school psychology" for decades does not give the claim validity. (for hundreds/thousands of years people proclaimed the earth was the center fo the universe). The main reason that long-term memories were seen as "permanent" was because you can't show that they are gone. Without evidence for a claim, the claim remains suspect.This really depends on how one defines a "memory." If memory is represented as a pattern of activation (distributed) across a network of connections, then is the memory gone if a part of the network degrades? If so, what percent of the network would need to be degraded... and what criteria would be used to define "degraded?" (i.e., would a synaptic connection need to be completely eliminated to be defined as "degraded" and then some 25% (33? 50? 80? 100? percent) of the connections be degraded?If you look at a brain afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease the brain degrades; the amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles kill off the neurons. If degradation is the criterion, then certainly memories go away. If one requires 100 percent of the connections to be gone, leaving a remnant of the memory, then likely they would be considered to be permanent. Even in a "normal" brain (non-diseased) neurons die off. We have the most neurons when we are born, then there is synaptic pruning.... then there is an exuberance in early adolescence... followed by synaptic pruning during adolescence (followed by a decline in the number of neurons as the brain ages.).Memory consolidation is a long-term process that can extend years. If a memory does not become consolidated was it actually a memory? If it is "gone" but it never consolidated is the memory lost (can it be lost if it never was a memory!)It is rather sad that people don't see the complexity of the issue and see how "this is so obvious." So much to learn folks.
mementhMay 26, 2006
its not the brain that stores memory but it is the device that accesses is...
underlokMay 26, 2006
Old news! They just need to invent something to let me USE the memories I can't access!
blackjack75May 26, 2006
However, Jack Bauer does shoot you in the knee before asking. If you find this cruel, then you're just thinking in a pre 9.11 way. I mean he could have shot both your knees, and who f*cking cares if you're just a poor student passing by. You COULD be a terrorist, or otherwise why would he shoot in your knees?