A new mouse study could explain how memory works Memories appear to be constantly adapting and updating based on new information New experiences are replayed in the mind and linked to past memories THURSDAY, Nov. 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Memories are constantly adapting in the brain over time, dynamically updating as people encounter new information and fresh experiences. Researchers think they’ve figured out the brain mechanism that drives this memory integration, based on a study of lab mice.
The discovery improves understanding of mental illnesses like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in which memories torment sufferers, researchers said. “We’ve taken a major step in the direction of better understanding real-world memory, where we know that our memories are constantly being updated and remodeled with subsequent experience so that we can function day-to-day in a dynamic world,” said senior researcher Denise Cai , an associate professor of neuroscience with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. In the study, researchers tracked the behavior and brain activity in the hippocampus of adult mice as they learned and consolidated new experiences into their memories.
The hippocampus is the part of the brain responsible for memory and learning. They discovered that after each event, the brain consolidates and stabilizes a memory by replaying the experience. And after a negative experience, the brain replays not just that event but memories f.