Memory and forgetfulness
A Newark project asks, "How does memory work?"
Archived article from Oct 16, 1998
By Kathleen Brunet
Imagine being unable to remember that a close family member has died or that your child has graduated from college. Now, imagine that your doctor informs you there is little that can be done to help you because scientists have yet to fully uncover the foundations of memory.
Researchers in recent years have learned a great deal about the brain and how it works, yet one area that has remained elusive is a precise understanding of memory, how it is formed and how it is impaired through such disorders as stroke, epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease.
Utilizing recent advances in neuroscience, psychology and computer science, the Memory Disorders Project at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience on the Newark campus is seeking to provide a more comprehensive understanding of memory. As part of that effort, the project last year held its first major conference, titled "The Current Frontiers in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory and Memory Disorders Workshop." The conference brought leading memory researchers from the tri-state area together with clinical neurologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists and psychologists to discuss how they could work collaboratively in the search for better treatment methods.
Scientists already know that the hippocampus, a structure deep inside the brain, plays a critical role in learning and memory. Animal studies have shown that the brain forms memories when neurons in the hippocampus communicate with each other, establishing a pattern used over and over each time the triggering event is experienced.
It is suspected that this same process of establishing communication links among neurons within the hippocampus occurs in humans as part of learning and memory formation, explained Mark A. Gluck, co-director of the Memory Disorders Project and associate professor of neuroscience.
For example, when someone decides to learn the name of every country in the world, he will look at a list, read each name and concentrate on it. The next time he goes over the list, he will be able to recall many of the names from memory because his neurons have already established the necessary pattern. The more times he reviews the information, the easier it becomes to recall the names as the pattern of communication among the neurons is reinforced.
In certain cases, when the hippocampus has been damaged as a result of some forms of stroke or a virus such as herpes encephalitis, people can find themselves suffering from dramatic memory problems, even though their intelligence remains unaffected, observed project co-director and Assistant Professor Catherine Myers. Interestingly, memories of events that happened prior to the injury are usually spared, while events that have happened since the hippocampus was damaged are the ones that become difficult to remember, she said.
"We believe that the hippocampus acts as an information gateway during the learning and memory process. It determines how incoming information is to be sent to memory and how it is to be stored," said Gluck. "Our theory is that the hippocampus is intricately involved in determining the pattern of activity and communication across neurons while the brain is encoding, or learning, new information."
Based on that theory, researchers are confident that effective treatments for memory disorders will be found as they gain a better understanding of hippocampal functions.
Currently, there are few techniques or rehabilitative measures available to help people with memory disorders. Most are taught to rely on a memory notebook in which they record their every activity. Although the primary focus of the Memory Disorders Project is on basic memory research, the project has the long-term goal of using the latest developments in cognitive neuroscience research to develop more effective techniques for the diagnosis and rehabilitation of people with memory disorders.
Some of the areas currently being pursued by Gluck, Myers and Assistant Director Stacey Warren include the development of clinical testing methods to detect subtle changes in the hippocampus and memory that are predictive of the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. This is a high priority for pharmaceutical companies developing Alzheimer's drugs that are effective only during the earliest stages of the disease, Gluck explained.
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