are memories stored in the mind
The findings of Hasan and Delgado-Garcìa thus represent a paradigm-shift in memory research as they make clear that the cerebral cortex is the brain region where memory associations are linked and stored -- not the hippocampus. However, this laboratory research on ordinary memory may be irrelevant in regard to memories of traumatic experiences. Scientists argue that traumatic memories are different from ordinary clinical memories in the way they are encoded on the brain. There is evidence that trauma is stored in the part of the brain called the limbic system, which processes emotions and sensations, but not language or speech. In the 1920s the behavioral psychologist Karl Lashley conducted a now famous series of experiments in an attempt to identify the part of the brain in which memories are stored. Lashley failed to find the engram—his experimental animals were still able to find their way through the maze, no matter where he put lesions on their brains. He therefore concluded that memories are not stored in any single area of the brain, but are instead distributed throughout it. Memories (red) for associating (or linking) two different sensations are formed in the cortex (tone in blue and touch in yellow). Credit: MPI f. Medical Research/Splettstoesser. 'Where' and 'how' memories are encoded in a nervous system is one of the most challenging questions in biological research. The formation and recall of associative memories is essential for an independent life. In the past, many experts were fond of describing memory as a sort of tiny filing cabinet full of individual memory folders in which information is stored away. Others likened memory to a neural supercomputer wedged under the human scalp. Some people say they are “haunted” by memories of traumatic experiences which intrude on and disrupt their daily lives. They often can’t get the “pictures” of the trauma out of their heads. They may have recurring nightmares, “flashbacks,” or they may even relive the trauma as if it was happening in present time. In a profound way, it is our collective set of memories -- our memory as a whole -- that makes us who we are. Most people talk about memory as if it were a thing they have, like bad eyes or a good head of hair. But your memory doesn't exist in the way a part of your body exists -- it's not a thing you can touch. It's a concept that refers to the process of remembering. Patients such as H.M., who have lesions in the hippocampus on both sides of the brain, not only lose the ability to form new memories, but also lose memories for events that occurred in the years preceding the onset of their amnesia. For other uses, see Memory (disambiguation). Memory is the faculty of the mind by which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968). Memory is vital to experiences and related to limbic systems, it is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action.
Yes, memory is the faculty of the mind by which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved.