Memory

How do we remember? Why do some thoughts fly out of our brains, while other thoughts -- and annoying songs -- lodge themselves into our memories for life?

Scientists have uncovered a gene called CREB. It appears to be what determines if you will make a deposit to the memory bank or not. This nerve cell controls our long term memory. If something strikes you as interesting, profound, annoying, or any assortment of strong emotions, the CREB is activated in your brain. What your senses hear, see, and touch, gets stored in your long term memory, with the permission of CREB.

Dr. Eric Kandel first discovered CREB. According to the Nobel laureate, if CREB is understood, it may hold the key for diseases known for memory loss. Alzheimer's disease is just one example. His company, Memory Pharmaceuticals, has been working to develop a drug to alter CREB genes and proteins in our brain.

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Learn more about CREB, and its role in the memory process. Scientists hope that zeroing in on molecules will lead to therapies to manipulate memory.

Another specific gene may also play a crucial role in determining the power of a person's memory by producing a chemical that is required to keep brain cells healthy.

Of course, memory is not controlled only by genetics. A new study shows that people with superior memories use a learning strategy that activates more gray matter in the brain than typical memorization techniques.

October 18, 2003