Memory is Fiction

So much is happening in brain research these days... some very interesting parts of that are around memory.
Charlie Rose has a fascinating series on the brain. One recently dealt with The Aging Brain. They talked about two memory systems: Declarative memory (memory for people, places and objects) and Non-Declarative memory (memory for things we do automatically like driving a car, brushing our teeth, etc). Turns out the non-declarative memory system ages quite well. But the Declarative system is prone to gradual, age related loss and the more rapid loss of Alzheimer's Disease.

Jonah Lehrer recently posted a blog (if you are interested in the brain, I'd encourage you to follow this young man's blog) on Memory as Fiction. Very interesting. I had seen in other places as well this thinking that memory is not what we thought it was - data stored away in a safe vault for later retrieval - but rather it is restored each time as if it was new, and therefore prone to damage and/or reduction over time. Jonah says it much better than I can. Check it out.

I'd love to hear more about how/if memories like scripture and hymns stick long term. I've heard great first-hand stories about how, in times of crisis, people have been blessed by the scripture and hymns they learned (memorized) early on. It had stayed with them to be a comfort and help. First, you can't recall something that doesn't get in to the memory system. And are there things we can do in the memorizing that help it stick? I think likely music (hymn words) is one key.