The Neuroscience of Memory – Eleanor Maguire

In this engaging lecture the speaker Eleanor Maguire explains through demonstrations some of the peculiarities of memory to show that we often do not remember things exactly as they occurred yet we often believe we do.

I learnt a lot about human memory years ago at school and it has stuck with me ever since because I know what it is good at but also what it is bad at. I also learnt that everyones memory is different, not just the memories we store but our ability to store and use memories and it has profound a impact on who we are and how we live our lives.

I share this talk very much to give you a small insight into the fascinating world of human memory and what you learn from just one hour listening to a memory expert. I spent so many hours in the company of very knowledge pschology teachers and many more with books and other tools to uncover so many gems about our memory and what it can do.

I hope you enjoy this lecture and that it stimulates a passion for understanding that bit more about how you work.

Further reading

• Unraveling the Genetic Mechanisms Behind Long-Lasting Memories in the Brain: researchers determined a novel feedback loop that helps explain how short-lived mRNA and proteins create long-term memories in the brain. from Maintenance of a short-lived protein required for long-term memory involves cycles of transcription and local translation
• Networks of silver nanowires seem to learn and remember, much like our brains explores non-biological systems that are more like human brains and references Neuromorphic learning, working memory, and metaplasticity in nanowire networks which found found self-organising networks of tiny silver wires appear to learn and remember in much the same way as the thinking hardware in our heads.
• Memories may be stored in the membranes of your neurons
• Genes and the inheritance of memories across generations  Wonderful talk reminding me of the thoughts I have had around this for a long time. 
• Electric Fields are Pivotal in Encoding Memories
  • Electric fields generated by the collective electrical activity of neurons coordinate information across key brain regions.
  • This process is made possible by a mechanism called “ephaptic coupling,” which can influence the spiking of neurons and, thus, their signaling to other neurons.
• Secrets of learning: How the brain stores memory and information learning may work by altering the wiring diagram of the brain – less like a computer and more like a developing sculpture. In other words, the engram is not in the cell; the cell is in the engram. So, in learning, the whole of the network matters
• DNA Damage and Inflammation Key to Memory Formation
• How Your Brain Remembers: How Episodic Memories Form
• Mind-Blowing Discovery: Scientists Discover That Memories Are Not Only in the Brain
• Brain Scientists Finally Discover the Glue that Makes Memories Stick for a Lifetime
• Brain’s Working Memory Limits Tied to Learning, Not Just Capacity holding too much information at once confuses the brain, impairing its ability to learn and use stored data effectively. the brain compensates for this limitation by strategically “chunking” related information together, improving efficiency