MEMORY

When forgetfulness becomes a source of concern

You search for a word that's right on the tip of your tongue.

You forget an appointment.

You walk into a room without knowing why you went there.

Your child learns their lesson but seems to have forgotten it by the next day.

These situations are common and are part of the normal functioning of memory.

But when they become more frequent, more troublesome, or more worrying, it's natural to wonder whether something isn't working as it should.

Memory is often perceived as a simple storage system.

In reality, it's a complex set of mechanisms that allow us to learn, retain, remember, and build our experience of the world.

Memory: several systems working together

We often talk about "memory" as if it were a single capacity.

Neuroscience, however, shows that there are several forms of memory, each with a specific role.

Some allow us to temporarily hold information.

Others allow us to durably store our knowledge or personal memories.

Still others allow us to learn movements that become automatic with practice.

These different systems work together continuously.

The main forms of memory

Working memory

Working memory allows us to temporarily keep information active in order to use it.

For example:

remembering an instruction;
doing mental arithmetic;
following several steps of a task;
understanding a complex sentence.

It plays a central role in learning, attention, and executive functions.

Long-term memory

Long-term memory allows us to durably retain acquired information.

It includes in particular:

general knowledge;
academic learning;
personal memories.

Episodic memory

This concerns the events of our personal history:

a birthday;
an important meeting;
a trip;
a significant moment in our life.

Procedural memory

This allows us to acquire automatic skills.

For example:

riding a bike;
driving;
playing an instrument;
typing on a keyboard.

What we learn from neuroscience

Memory doesn't depend on a single center of the brain.

It relies on several brain networks that work together to record, organize, and retrieve information.

Contrary to certain widespread beliefs, forgetting isn't necessarily a sign of dysfunction.

The brain continuously selects which information it retains and which it allows to fade.

Many factors influence memory:

attention;
sleep;
fatigue;
stress;
anxiety;
certain neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions.

Very often, what seems like a memory problem is actually an attention problem at the moment the information was supposed to be recorded.

If the information wasn't properly encoded, it can't be retrieved later.

Memory and presence

Our memories are never built entirely on our own.

The events we remember best are often those experienced with other people or that carried strong emotional significance.

Parents contribute to building their children's memories when they talk with them about experiences they shared together.

Teachers facilitate learning by directing attention toward what is important.

Human relationships thus influence not only what we perceive, but also what we retain.

The presence of others helps shape part of our memory throughout life.

This perspective ties in with the work developed as part of the Brain of Presence project, dedicated to studying how social contexts influence brain functioning.

When should you seek a consultation?

A consultation may be helpful when memory difficulties:

interfere with learning;
lead to significant cognitive fatigue;
affect studies or work;
are accompanied by attentional difficulties;
appear in an unusual or progressive way;
cause significant concern for the person or those around them.

In children, memory difficulties are often linked to attention, learning, or executive functions.

In adults or older people, they may require more in-depth exploration to understand their origin.

How I work

Neuropsychological assessment makes it possible to explore the different memory systems and to better understand the difficulties encountered in daily life.

Depending on the situation, it can help identify: