Why do we never lose certain skills we have learned, even if we haven’t practiced them for a long time. like for example riding a bicycle, and we lose some, like a new language we learned 10 years ago but can’t remember anything about it now?

Question

Why do we never lose certain skills we have learned, even if we haven’t practiced them for a long time. like for example riding a bicycle, and we lose some, like a new language we learned 10 years ago but can’t remember anything about it now?

In: 5857

Answer 1

There are different regions of the brain based on how we as humans have evolved – the “lizard” basic functions part, the “mammal” emotional part, and the “human” critical-thinking part. When we first learn something, we use our cortex, the critical thinking part of our brain. Physical movements, such as standing, walking, and running, eventually get stored in the cerebellum, which is part of the “lizard” brain. I’m not 100% sure where language goes but I think it stays in cortex, so it can become second nature but we always have to actively think about it, even subconsciously. The cerebellum is pure reflex – shifting balance and walking forward and catching ourselves if we start to trip. We never actively think about it so we don’t forget it.
Riding a bike isn’t natural to our species, so it may never go to the cerebellum and can be forgotten, but if someone does it enough it’s locked in there. Think pro-athletes who just never unlearn their craft.

If this helps: Huntington’s disease affects the cerebellum, which is why those who have it lose their ability to walk/move properly. They have to use their cortex to think about the movements.