Does a healthy brain ever lose information?

[GrandMasterK]

I ask this question in reference to memory. Some things we forget we can remember. Many times in my life there were events that I'm sure I never would of thought of again and something will happen that unlocks the door to that thought. So my question is, does your brain keep everything tucked away somewhere? Is the information on every single thing relevant to you in all the days of your life since the first stored away until you die?

[Alchemist]

Some information are only stored in your short term memory and not the long term memory(LTM). If information gets stored into your LTM, that doesn't mean that it will be stored there for the rest of your life, it can be stored there for a few days or for a few decades. It all depends on the neural connections that are made, it's use it or lose it, meaning that if you want to be able to remember certain information decades from now, then you will have to strengthen the neural connections by repetitions. This can occur naturally by reflection (when you recall something without trying to and keep thinking about), or by deliberate recall. Doing this doesn't really guarantee that you'll be able to remember it all, since neuro-degeneration caused by the effects of normal aging is still a factor. However you can fortify your memory against these effects by doing things like neurobics regularly, which studies suggest can delay the onset of alzheimer's disease. By the way, if information stored in your LTM as neural connections aren't fortified then they get pruned away, so other neural connections can be made.

 

I better stop otherwise I'll carry on and on and on!

Hope that helps.

[iNow]

It's also important not to think of memory as a cd onto which we burn information. It's not. Information is not hard coded into the brain like a movie onto a VHS tape. It's the result of very dynamic connections and access methods.

 

Also, it's not like your memory of your childhood pet sits in one location while your memory of algebra sits in another while your memory of your dad sits in another. That's not how it works.