Forgetting may actually be a beneficial form of learning

Forgetting is often seen as a flaw or failure of the human memory system, something that happens when our brains can’t keep up. However, recent research offers a different, more nuanced perspective.

Neuroscientists now suggest that forgetting might not just be an accidental glitch or a sign of cognitive decline, but could actually be a beneficial, deliberate function of the brain, enhancing our ability to navigate complex environments.

Forgetting to adapt to the world

This new understanding challenges the conventional view of memory as merely a storage system and shows how our brains may strategically use forgetting to adapt to the ever-changing world around us, improving our decision-making and cognitive flexibility.

The research was led by Dr. Tomás Ryan, an associate professor in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology and the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin.

Supported by Dr. Livia Autore, an Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholar, this research is gaining traction in the scientific community.

Forgetting as a learning mechanism

Dr. Ryan and his team have brought a unique proposition to the table. They suggest that our memory not only adapts by storing information but also by selectively forgetting it.

This, they theorize, is the brain’s strategic response to the unpredictable and ever-changing environment around us.

“In a changing world like the one we and many other organisms live in, forgetting some memories would be beneficial, as this can lead to more flexible behavior and better decision-making,” said the researchers.

The what, where, and how of forgetting

The researchers investigated a specific form of forgetting called retroactive interference. This occurs when different experiences happening around the same time cause the brain to forget some newly formed memories.

To investigate, the experts conducted an experiment with mice, where the mice were made to associate a specific object with a particular context or room. The mice then had to recognize when that object was displaced from its original context.

However, when the first memory was interrupted by other experiences, the mice seemed to forget these associations.

Light, memory, and optogenetics

To examine the impact of forgetting on memory itself, the researchers employed a potent mix of genetics and optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control cells in living tissue.

The experts genetically labeled a contextual “engram” or a group of brain cells that store a specific memory, within the mice’s brain. Then, they observed the activation and functioning of these cells after forgetting occurred.

The researchers discovered that stimulating these cells with light could retrieve the seemingly lost memories. Additionally, when the mice experienced something related to the forgotten memories, these “lost” engrams were naturally revived.

Forgetting: A double-edged sword

Through this research, the team has given us a peek into the remarkable dynamics of memory. “It’s as if the memories are stored in a safe but you can’t remember the code to unlock it,” said Dr. Ryan.

In other words, our forgotten memories are not erased; they are merely inaccessible due to lack of reactivation of their respective engrams.

The implications of this research extend beyond our everyday forgetting. Understanding these “natural forgetting” processes could provide valuable insights into disease states where these processes may be mistakenly activated, like Alzheimer’s Disease.

The study was supported by the European Research Council, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the Irish Research Council and the Science Foundation Ireland.

The findings bring us closer to explaining how our brains selectively choose what to remember and what to forget, and how this function impacts our overall cognitive health.

A new frontier for memory research

The study by Dr. Ryan and his team opens up exciting new avenues for research into memory and cognitive health.

By understanding how natural forgetting works, scientists can explore innovative ways to prevent or mitigate conditions where memory loss becomes harmful, such as Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

These insights may lead to novel therapeutic approaches, potentially unlocking the brain’s capacity to manage and retrieve lost memories, offering hope for millions affected by memory disorders.

The study is published in the journal Cell Reports.

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