Yesterday it was a first name. Last week, an anniversary date. It must be recognized: for some time now, oversights have been multiplying, and you curse yourself each time. Worse still: you already feel the threat of a Early Alzheimer’s.
However, this is certainly not the case, and it is even, according to the neurobiologist and member of the scientific council of the Robert Jaffard B2V Observatory of Memories, a “completely normal event. Memory is forgetting.” Fine, but why?
Forget to better remember
“Selective Amnesia”. This is the other, more scholarly name for the occasional memory lapse. “During sleep, the memory sorts, keeps the useful and deletes the useless”, explains the expert. In other words: it is better to forget what is not essential in order to remember effectively what is. “But there are also, it is established, intentional forgettings. It can be information which one does not want and which is repressed, even unconsciously.”
In short, once again, this is all a story of selection, and most of these memory lapses do not indicate a memory derailment at all, quite the contrary: “It keeps things organized and organized. Hypermnesiacs can thus have both an exceptional and catastrophic memory because they record everything that happens but do not organize anything.
Some omissions, on the other hand, are linked to a problem when encoding information: “If this one goes wrong, it’s impossible to have a memory behind it. But sometimes you wonder if it’s a recording or recall problem.” A reminder that sometimes is halted by a key factor: stress.
Stress, this stick in the wheels of memory
If a simple problem of fatigue and therefore attention (“if you are not careful when you put down your keys, you may not find them”) can explain an occasional memory lapse, a peak of stress is also often the cause: “When we remember something, we set up a process of recapitulation which reproduces the brain activity at the time of encoding. The increase in the level of cortisol in case of stress disorganizes this recapitulation. And therefore leads to problems of restitution…”
On the other hand, be aware that if stress therefore disturbs recall, it greatly facilitates memorization: “You are emotionally awake, and a release of norepinephrine allows for better encoding and consolidation of information.” In short, relax, but not too much, in a way!
Read also:
- This (bad) habit is toxic to the brain and memory
- 6 tips to maintain your brain
- Alzheimer’s: 9 signs that can make you think of it
- Alzheimer’s disease does not always start with memory lapses
