Sсiеntifiс Аmеricаn Mind – September – October 2019 (Tablet Edition)

(Wang) #1

NEWS


GETTY IMAGES

Our Brain Uses
a Not So Instant
Replay to Make
Decisions
Neural-processing centers repeat
recent sequences of events to lay
down new memories used for
abstract thought

THE HIPPOCAMPUS is a small curl
of brain, which nests beneath each
temple. It plays a crucial role in
memory formation, taking our
experiences and interactions and
setting them in proverbial stone
by creating new connections
among neurons.
A report published on June 27 in
Science reveals how the hippocam-
pus learns and hard-wires certain
experiences into memory. The
authors show that following a
particular behavior, the hippocampus

Computer artwork
of the brain
highlighting the
hippocampus (red).
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