Memory and its Mechanism

Abstract

Memory; a higher intellectual function is ability to store experiences and information and to recall
these voluntarily and involuntarily. Explicit or declarative memory is associated with consciousness. It is of two
types; episodic (memory of events) and semantic (memory of words, rules and language. It involves
hippocampus, amygdala and diencephalon. Implicit or skill or habits memory is the memory of skilled behavior
and it does not require conscious understanding; for example riding a bicycle and playing basket ball. Parts of
the brain involved in this memory are parts of sensorimotor cortex, basal nuclei and cerebellum.
Memory can be short term, intermediate long term and long term. Short term memory lasts for seconds to a
few minutes. Short term memory is consolidated to long term memory by rehearsal or active practice.
Minimum consolidation occurs in 5-10 minutes while strong consolidation requires 1 hour or more. Long term
memory involves protein synthesis and permanent facilitation of synapses. Those sensory experiences are
stored into memory that are accompanied by either reward or punishment.