How are memories stored in the brain?
In: Biology
So this is quite a hefty question and it could take decades to really cover it all, but in a nutshell:
Humans have an area of the brain called the hippocampus. Though there are tons of different brain regions involved in the formation and retention of memories, this one is the big guy. Oftentimes we tend to think of memories like computers, where they are stored away somewhere in our mind, but this actually isn’t the case at all. Instead of our hippocampus being a library where each memory is located somewhere, it actually involves many neural networks and passages of connection. Instead of copies of memories, each time we recall something, the memory is reconstructed in that moment. Being that it is an active process and this is constantly happening, our memories of events change and are influenced by everything from memories that have happened after, our environment, mood, motivation, etc, etc. This results in memories either missing details or adding details (see Bartlett’s (1932) War of Ghosts). Even the act of being up a memory changes it each time. Now, this doesn’t mean that every memory is inaccurate, but there are tons of factors that come into the reliability of memory, including rehearsal, emotion, and identity functions. Not to mention that there is a difference between memories that are conscious/explicit (like what you ate for dinner yesterday) and unconscious/implicit (like how to ride a bike). There is a lot here, but that’s the gist.
Source is that I’m a graduate student that studies autobiographical memory 🙂
Tldr: We have tons of neurons in an area of the brain called the hippocampus that fire and create connections when forming memories. Memories aren’t stored through, and are instead reconstructed every time we are remembering something.
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