Week 3 - Memory

Friday 24th October 2014

This week has been all about Memory. Some great video lectures and some very interesting bonus videos.

On my way home from Wales today I heard a great program on Radio 4 Extra called 'Thanks for the memory'. It was Nicholas Parsons discussing and pondering over what memory is and how it works. here's the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0076xqg it discussed some of the issues and tools outlined in this weeks coursework and also some interesting stories from those who have had difficulties through illness.

From this weeks Videos something leapt out at me when Dr. Terrance Sejnowski was discussing the intricacies' of our memory system. He showed us a diagram (Below) of how it is that are memories are not static but fluid and changing things.

Image taken from: http://www.hfsp.org/frontier-science/awardees-articles/function-memory-reconsolidation-function-time

The process of something entering into our short term memory moves to our long term memory through 'Consolidation'. From this inactive state it is reactivated by our short term memory. Then comes the interesting bit, it is reconsolidated back into our long term memory, but it is subject to the conditions in which you recalled it and can have slight changes.

Ever had that time when you have been arguing about the time you did so and so and John was there. The other person is adamant that John wasn't there and after some time of toing and froing you end up realizing that you were wrong. Well this is that reconsolidation in action, maybe last time you recalled that deep memory John was in hospital, on your mind and somehow he got put into that memory.

While I was looking for the article that contained the above diagram I bumped into another article entitled 'Rescuing sensory integration in mouse models of autism', it can be found at: http://www.hfsp.org/frontier-science/awardees-articles/rescuing-sensory-integration-mouse-models-autism As I work with some adults who have Autism it was interesting to see that they have discovered that the insula, part of the brain plays a big part in sensory difficulties. What we describe as 'Self stimulatory' behavior appears, as we had thought, a means to shut out or cope with this sensory difficulty. But I digress.

With regard to the above diagram about the Consolidation-Reactivation-Reconsolidation process I really wanted to remember it. So I adopted a technique discussed in one of this weeks videos called the 'Memory Palace technique'.
It involves using a place you know and visualizing the things you want to remember in it, try to use all your senses in your visualization and walk through where the things are. What they look like, feel like, smell like etc.

Well I imagined myself in the garden, taking out a few reconstituted building bricks (Memories) out of a recycling bin (Short term memory), I can smell the brick now, all cementy, and not too heavy. holding them together (Consolidation) and throwing them into a skip (Long term memory)(I hear the metal clang as they land in there, not much in my memory tee hee). I then take them out of the skip and run around, active with them, through the trees (Reactivation), eventually chucking (Chunking) them back together into the skip, a couple of leaves (adjustment to memory) and all (Reconsolidation). Not quite a Palace, but still, it worked.

I made that up about three days ago now and can still remember the diagram well by using my sensory filled story. Cool, it works, but I've got to keep on practicing it to get it really logged in, (Deepen the memory so that it lasts).