Chinese scientists discover how quickly human memories can form

Chinese neurosurgeons have uncovered the mechanism behind memory formation: specifically, the time required to consolidate acquired experiences. This discovery is expected to transform the treatment of patients with memory disorders. This was reported by Science and Technology Daily, a TV BRICS partner.

Traditionally, memory consolidation has been thought to be a lengthy process, but a study conducted by scientists at China Medical University, assisted by neurosurgeons, has shown that the time required for memory "consolidation" is much shorter.

The scientists carried out a study aimed at investigating how humans memorise information through learning and recall. Using stereotactic electroencephalography (SEEG) technology, they recorded the brain activity of 14 patients with intractable epilepsy during the learning process over a period of six days.

They discovered that the memory process is not a single action, but rather a series of steps. This new study also indicates that the critical period for memory formation occurs much earlier – as early as the first night following learning.

Professor Zhang Chunqing, one of the study’s authors, explained that on the day people learn new information, the hippocampus – located deep within the brain – acts like a "commander". Just as a teacher issues instructions, it directs the cerebral cortex to encode the information via high-frequency "pulsed" brainwaves. However, once people fall asleep, a quiet "change of guard" begins during the night. From the following day onwards, control shifts to the cerebral cortex, whose "brainwave" activity takes over from the hippocampus and remains dominant during the subsequent process of information retrieval.

"For the first time, we have precisely pinpointed the timing of this handover of 'command' – it occurs overnight," explained Wang Lukang, another author of the study.

This discovery has rewritten our understanding of the timing of "memory consolidation". It not only deepens our understanding of the mechanisms underlying memory formation but also offers new hope for the treatment of patients with memory disorders such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury.

Scientists point out that this discovery lays a solid foundation for the development of drugs or physical therapies to enhance memory efficiency and delay memory decline.