Trouble keeping information in mind? Could be sleep, mood — or age

You’re heading to the market. You need to pick up eggs, cheese, milk, bread, tomatoes, carrots, and string beans. Can you keep those items in mind by repeating them to yourself? You arrive at your usual market, but it is unexpectedly closed. A passerby gives you verbal directions to a new market. Can you close your eyes and visualize the route? Both activities tap working memory — that is, your memory for information that you need to actively keep “in mind” and manipulate often. We use this type of memory every day. For example, when we are comparing two or more options — whether dinner entrees, health plans, or mutual funds — we are using our working memory to keep the details of the different options in mind. The frontal lobes direct the components of working memory The two frontal lobes of the brain play important roles in certain types of memory. Working memory is typically divided into two components, plus an executive system that shifts attention between them. One component helps you keep verbal information in your head by silently repeating it to yourself. Another component processes spatial information, such as mentally planning the route you will drive to avoid rush hour traffic. Virtually all tasks involving working memory activate the prefrontal cortex, the part of your frontal lobes right behind your forehead. The left hemisphere of your brain is more involved when you are repeating verbal information to yourself. The right hemisphere is more involved ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Memory Mental Health Sleep Source Type: blogs