Memory

Memory is the form of mental ability of the human organism to retain, store and retrieve information. Memory makes possible to store and analyze information about the events of the environment and use it in the sphere of consciousness for organizing the subsequent activity.

There are several types of memory: neurologic, genetic, immune and social memory. However, usually memory is divided into sensory, short-term and long-term memory.

The sensory memory retains an exact event or place of what has been seen or heard. It is considered that sensory memory lasts for nearly 300-500 milliseconds. Sensory memory can be forgotten or transferred into short-term memory. Short-term memory means retrieving information related to recent events. Some studies proven that short-term memory is 7 bit in length, meaning ability to remember 7 items. Usually these items are forgotten , however, some of them can be transferred into long-term memory and are stored there for a long time or even the whole life.

A lot of knowledges about memories structure came from studying memory disturbances. One of them is memory loss called amnesia. Amnesia can occur because of bacterial infection, stress and alcohol or drug abuse. There are different types of amnesia , including:

Hypomnesis is a condition of memory impairment. Hypomnesiasis usually occurs with age or is caused by any cerebral diseases(sclerosis of cerebral vessels, epilepsy)

Hypermnesis is a condition manifested with inability to forget small details. What do really cause thus memory disorder is still not known .

Paramnesia is a distortion of memory in which objective experience and fantasy are confused. It also means inability to recall the sense of common words.

There are different types of medications that are used in the treatment of memory disorders. They work by increasing metabolism in the brain's cells as well as improving blood circulation. As a result the brain receives more nutrient materials.

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