Consistent brain activity key to good memory

September 13, 2010 05:07 pm | Updated 05:07 pm IST - Washington

A sensor strapped on a soldier's head to test the brain's well-being. Constant activity is key to keeping the brain ticking. File photo

A sensor strapped on a soldier's head to test the brain's well-being. Constant activity is key to keeping the brain ticking. File photo

A new study has suggested that people would remember specific information such as faces or words better if the pattern of brain activity remains consistent every time the information is studied.

Russell Poldrack of University of Texas and his colleagues challenged the long-held belief that people retain information more effectively when they study it several times under different contexts and, thus, give their brains multiple cues to remember it.

“This helps us begin to understand what makes for effective studying. Sometimes we study and remember things, sometimes we don’t and this helps explain why,” said Mr. Poldrack.

The research represented the first time scientists have analyzed human memory by examining the pattern of activity across many different parts of the image called voxels. The new technique allows them to probe more deeply into the relationship between the mind and the brain.

“The question is how practice makes perfect. If you precisely reactivate the same pattern each time, then you are going to remember better,” said Gui Xue of the University of Southern California.

The researchers conducted three studies at Beijing Normal University in which subjects were shown different sets of photographs or words multiple times in different orders.

The scientists recorded subjects’ brain activity while they studied the material. They were asked to recall or recognize those items between 30 minutes and six hours later, in order to test the decades-old “encoding variability theory.” That theory suggested people would remember something more effectively if they study it at different times in different contexts than if they review it several times in one sitting.

Based on that theory, the researchers predicted subjects would retain memories of the photos or words more effectively if their brains were activated in different ways while studying that information multiple times.

Instead, the scientists found the subjects’ memories were better when their pattern of brain activity was more similar across different study episodes.

The findings were published in the journal Science.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.