• Question: hello as i read you are working on brains and memeory have you descoverd what makes a person forgetful or forget things?

    Asked by to Nancy on 17 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Nancy Carlisle

      Nancy Carlisle answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      Good question! There are LOTS of scientists who are interested in what makes memories strong, and what can disrupt the formation of strong memories. Researchers look at these questions for memories that last over years, over hours, or over seconds (and each system is different). Researchers also span a wide variety of techniques to look at this question: some look at behavior, and some go deep down into the actual neural connections in our brain to try to understand how memories form!
      Recently, it has been shown that some memories ‘consolidate’ or become more permanent while we sleep. So not getting enough sleep could be one factor in making someone forgetful.
      Also, doing a lot of other things right after you learn new information can also disrupt consolidation.
      So, overall, in my books there are lots of factors and lots of interesting questions still to ask about memories! 🙂

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