The ways by which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved can all be corrupted. Memory is how your brain processes and stores information so you can access it later Most memory formation happens in your hippocampus, but the process also involves many other connected brain regions. Explore memory science and neuroscience explained to understand how the brain works to form and retrieve memories—and why forgetting is a natural part of cognition. Memory refers to the processes used to acquire, store, retain, and later retrieve information Learn more about how memories are formed and the different types.
Memory is not a static archive It is life itself, constantly rewritten, endlessly resilient, deeply human From the firing of neurons to the telling of family stories, from the fragility of aging minds to the promise of technological enhancement, memory defines the human experience. Memory is a continually unfolding process Initial details of an experience take shape in memory The brain’s representation of that information then changes over time
Scientists talk about different types of memories based either on their content or on how we use the information. Memory is the term given to the structures and processes involved in the storage and subsequent retrieval of information Memory is essential to all our lives Without a memory of the past, we cannot operate in the present or think about the future. Many of the research questions surrounding memory may have answers in complex interactions between certain brain chemicals—particularly glutamate—and neuronal receptors, which play a crucial role in the signaling between brain cells. Overall, effective encoding is the initial process necessary for the formation of a new memory
Memory consolidation, the next step in forming an episodic memory, is the process by which memory traces of encoded information are strengthened, stabilized, and stored to facilitate later retrieval.
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