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Memories are fluid. They alter over time. Sometimes the details are lost or adjusted, other times they are manufactured in response to an overlap of experiences. Recall is just an illusion, recreated from a triggered smell, word, sight or sound, but could those memories also be transmitted across space and time?
The hippocampus can be considered as a personal database of our unique viewpoints of the past. Those memories deemed important, are reinforced via internal replays or storytelling, each time the tiny connections between our brain cells are strengthened. Facts that our subconscious select as useful for later, are then recoded in the cortex, where long term memories are stored.
The Science of Forgetting
These emotional and physical experiences go on to help shape our future, providing us with a reference to predict the outcome of certain actions prior to decisions being made. Memories become our comparison points. This association was highlighted during a study in the 1980’s on people who suffered from Amnesia. One subject, a motorcyclist with impaired memories following an accident, could retain and recall facts, but no emotional or personal experiences from the past. He also struggled to imagine his future.
Eleanor Maguire at University College London, states that there is a strong link between memories and…