Charan Ranganath

Memory is not a literal record of the past, it changes over time, and combines knowledge of facts and recall of experiences
I read this book probably more quickly than I should have if the purpose was to study modern psychological insights, largely derived from fMRI imaging, about the function of memory. Ranganath is fluid writer, sharing personal anecdotes while describing psychological experiments that have clarified the role of the hippocampus, perirhinal and prefrontal cortex in memory. The prefrontal cortex is paramount to retrieval of semantic information, finding the names of things and people, and organizing motor processes. The hippocampus and perirhinal cortex store images, sounds and smells that are linked to the emotional states that existed at the time of the event. Episodic memory makes things and places familiar, and familiarity enables rapid recognition of things out of place and potentially dangerous. Stress generally reduces, and rest generally increases, the ability to remember information and experiences.
Quotes:
page 103 - Attributed to Steven Wright "Right now, I'm having amnesia and deja vue at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before."
page 112: "In cryptomnesia, sometimes referred to as unconscious plagerism, the brain mistakes a 'forgotten' memory for an original thought or idea."
page 183: "Some findings even suggest that as couples age together, they become more cognitively interdependent and share a similar trajectory of mental abilities"
page 141: "Consequently, every time we recall an experience, what we remember is suffused with the residual of the last time we remembered it. And on it goes; each step is one link in a neural chain subject to edits and updates, so that, over time, our memories can drift further and further from the initial event."
page 160: "Error-driven learning is a well-established principle in the brain's motor system - that is, many neuroscientists believe that we learn how to make skilled movements by observing the difference between what we intend to do and what we actually do."… (mehr)

Perché Ricordiamo: un viaggio scientifico nella memoria e nel suo ruolo chiave
"Why We Remember: The Science of Memory and How it Shapes Us" del Dr. Charan Ranganath ci porta in un affascinante viaggio alla scoperta della memoria umana. Sfatando il mito della memoria come registro statico del passato, il libro rivela come il nostro cervello selezioni e conservi le informazioni in base alla loro utilità per il futuro.

Attraverso casi di studio e testimonianze, Ranganath spiega i meccanismi alla base del ricordo e della dimenticanza. Impariamo come l'attenzione, l'intenzione, l'immaginazione e le emozioni influenzino la creazione dei ricordi. Il libro non è solo teoria scientifica; fornisce anche consigli pratici per rafforzare la memoria e preservare i momenti più cari.

Ecco alcuni punti chiave del libro:

La memoria è al servizio del futuro: Contrariamente a quanto si pensa, dimenticare non è un difetto, ma un meccanismo evolutivo che permette di focalizzare l'attenzione sulle informazioni più utili per la sopravvivenza e la vita quotidiana.
Il ruolo centrale delle emozioni: I ricordi legati a emozioni forti, positive o negative, sono più vividi e persistenti nel tempo.
La memoria è ricostruttiva: I ricordi non sono copie fedeli del passato, ma piuttosto ricostruzioni operate dalla mente al momento del richiamo.
"Why We Remember" è un libro illuminante, scritto in modo chiaro e accessibile anche a chi non ha basi scientifiche. È consigliato a chiunque voglia comprendere meglio come funziona la memoria e come usarla al proprio vantaggio.… (mehr)

Fascinating look at the world of memory - the research and the neurology behind it all. I was introduced to a number of new ideas: the interplay between memory and imagination, how the sense of familiarity contributes to retrieval, the orienting response, how memories are constantly updating to reflect recent experiences, retrieval-induced forgetting and retrieval-induced facilitation, and how sleep is tied to memory. Best of all, the book is reassuring to this older reader, as much forgetfulness is a normal function of the human brain. There is much more in this dense volume. This is one book worth the re-read.… (mehr)