Memory has intrigued us for millenia, and is today one of the most active areas of neuroscience research. Much of this research has aimed to understand how memories are laid down, and a picture of how this happens is beginning to emerge. Hundreds of studies published over the past few decades provide evidence that memory formation involves widespread reorganization of connections in the brain.
The vast majority of memory research has therefore pertained to the neural processes which occur after the event that is being memorized. More recently, though, a number of studies have suggested that brain activity at the time of an event is experienced may play an important role in how memories of the event are encoded, and it is now thought that this activity determines the quality and strength of the memories.
A team of researchers from Germany now show that the activity which immediately precedes an event is also important for memory formation. In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they report the identification of a signature brain state which occurs just before the appearance of a visual stimulus and predicts the successful encoding of it. The findings point to ways in which the process of memory formation could be enhanced.
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Seems correct to me. In certain states my brain will not save anything as a memory for later .. When I wonder during a situation, mainly observe while thinking about it, it will get stuck in the brain way better than when I just hang out .. thought or emotion must be triggered in a certain way otherwise no memories … which is probably not the same for everyone .. the way those need to be triggered .. a very personal process ..
Good that we dont remember all our life so far though .. (hm .. is it good?) ..
Awareness leads to memory I guess .. but hey, we don’t want to be/can’t be aware all the time ..
I’m amazed by the way the path of memories in my life connects via these memories .. .. or maybe not amazed .. it tells so much about your own inner from a very early age on ..