memory

The memory takes on numerous tasks in everyday life. For example, it is used to differentiate and store information. However, some illnesses and ailments can limit the function of memory. Further consequences cannot then be ruled out.

What is the memory?

Without memory, it would not be possible to keep memories. In this way, people would not be able to remember their first day of school or what they learned in school.

The brain ensures that the available information is remembered. A distinction is made here between short and long-term memory. Complex procedures and processes decide which information is retained in the long term and which disappears over time. Memories are not only sorted and bundled. At the same time, there is a link with emotions, which ensures that some memories are perceived as positive, while others trigger sadness.

The information from which memories are knitted usually comes from all the sensory organs that combine in the brain and produce a complex image. If a particularly large number of senses are addressed, content often stays in the memory longer. How important the memory is in everyday life is mostly only clear when certain diseases occur that limit it. These include dementia, for example.

Function & task

Short-term and long-term memory as well as forgetting are important elements of memory. Short-term memory plays a particularly important role. It is used almost continuously in everyday life. If short-term memory did not exist, it would be impossible for people to remember events that happened a few seconds ago.

However, the short-term memory does not have unlimited capacity. If the memory is full, old information is exchanged for new elements. The same goes for situations where there are distractions. Often the information remains in short-term memory for just 30 seconds before it is replaced by another.

At the same time, however, short-term memory also allows people to acquire knowledge that is permanently available. If information is learned consciously and repeated regularly, it can leave short-term memory and move into long-term memory.

In contrast to the buffer, the capacity is unlimited. In this way, people usually manage to remember events that were a long time ago. Information that has managed to penetrate long-term memory remains there. Remembering can be understood with the help of biochemical processes.

When forgetting, content does not pass from short-term to long-term memory. If information is felt to be unimportant, it quickly leaves the memory and is forgotten. In the case of long-term memory, however, experts suspect that the memory still exists but that it is difficult to consciously recall.

Ultra-short-term memory is also important in everyday life. This enables the storage of auditory and visual content as they play a role in a conversation. Without further evaluation by the brain, the information disappears within a few seconds.

The memory thus serves to store content. These are important for remembering processes and information that have been learned. In addition, your own life story would not be available without memory. At the same time, it enables people to communicate and orientate themselves in everyday life.

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Illnesses & ailments

If the function of the memory is impaired, most people quickly realize how important it is for the components to function properly. Depending on the person and circumstances, the everyday forgetting is felt to be more or less pronounced. Many people notice the decline in their ability to think and their memory, especially as they get older.

The basis here is the reduced energy supply to the brain. If at the same time there is a threat of a great deal of stress, such as in the job, the effect can be intensified. Thus, it is above all stresses in everyday life that lead to a reduced functionality of the brain.

But such stress cannot be located behind every forgetfulness and concentration disorder. If intellectual impairments are noticed in several areas, this is an indication of developing dementia. Dementia is characterized by the strong reduction in mental abilities and thinking power.

The disease is triggered by different causes. These in turn are responsible for a structural organic change in the brain. For example, dementia often develops from Alzheimer's. In the context of Alzheimer's disease, the breakdown of nerve cells takes place.

Damage to the brain due to changes in blood vessels is the second most common cause of dementia. Long-term memory impairment results. In the terminal stage, those affected usually no longer manage to remember friends and relatives.

Amnesia can be diagnosed following an accident or traumatic brain injury. Suddenly, those affected are no longer able to recall memories from memory, and memory gaps arise. Amnesia can affect information that is older or content that is about events that happened immediately before. Depending on the cause, amnesia can be a short-term or long-term condition.

In the context of qualitative memory disorders, gaps in memory are replaced by invented elements. Such a phenomenon is particularly common among alcoholics. Furthermore, memory lapses can be triggered by sleep apnea, ADHD, epilepsy, a concussion or a tumor in the area of ​​the brain.