IEEE News: Forgetfulness Helps Humans Remember

The human brain only chooses to remember memories it thinks are most relevant, and actively suppresses those that are similar but less used, helping to lessen the cognitive load and prevent confusion, according to a study by researchers at Stanford University, who used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the brain activity of 20 healthy adults in memory tests. Participants were given word pairs to memorize, including two pairs that were closely associated, and then asked to recall all three pairs using the first words as cues. Researchers say, on average, the subjects were 15 percent worse at recalling the similar word pairs than at recalling the unrelated pair. The fMRI data taken during the test revealed participants' brains were highly active in a region known for handling competing memories, as well as in an area believed to induce memory suppression, researchers say. The related article.