2.5 Physc

A woman who is blind can recall songs she remembered from 20 years ago, when she was not blind. This relates to semantic memory, which encompasses explicit memories and general knowledge. Our brains do not have a specific location for storing memories.

Episodic memory, which involves experienced events, is one of the two main systems of memory. The brain stores explicit memories—facts and episodes—in the frontal lobes and the hippocampus. Different parts of the brain send past memories to the frontal lobes. Working memory is primarily associated with the left frontal lobe, as seen when recalling a password. In contrast, visual memory is processed in the right frontal lobe.

As a child grows, the hippocampus also develops. The hippocampus processes explicit facts, which are then stored in various brain regions. It plays a crucial role in learning social information and spatial memory, growing larger as it temporarily holds elements of episodes, such as smell, feel, sight, sound, and location. The older memories are archived through a process called memory consolidation, which is aided by sleep.

In a study, a physician attempted to shake a woman's hand but placed a thumbtack in his palm. The woman, who had amnesia, did not want to shake his hand because she had no memory of the incident.

The cerebellum is responsible for forming and storing implicit memories, while the basal ganglia, deep brain structures involved in movement, receive input from the cortex. Emotional triggers and stress hormones can significantly influence memory formation.

Some memories are particularly memorable, whether good or bad. Flashbulb memories create quick snapshots of significant moments, such as a first kiss or a traumatic event.