Hold That Thought

How exactly does a brain store information? How are our memories first formed? What makes us forget them, or create false or distorted memories? And what happens in dementia or neurodegeneration, when our memories crumble? Looking to the future, how might we keep our memories intact, as our lifespans extend. What will be the impact of AI?

Written by a professional quizzer and neuroscientist, Hold That Thought is a concise, accessible and entertaining guide to all aspects of our memory. Drawing on personal experience and historical case studies, Darragh Ennis touches on subjects as wide-ranging and fascinating as plant and animal memory, our memory’s relationship with taste, smell and sleep, and how we might strengthen our memories to competitive level.

Meanwhile did you know:
Short term memory is only a few secondsMemories exist as physical objects in your brain. Any long-term memory is stored in a trace of neurons in a particular patternPhotographic memory doesn’t really existGoldfish memories are actually pretty good, they are unfairly maligned!