Memory and Emotion: The Making of Lasting Memories (Maps of the Mind) - Hardcover

McGaugh, James L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0297645935 ISBN 13: 9780297645931

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003

Synopsis

Memory is central to our existence. But not all memories are created equal. As the novelist Doris Lessing observed, 'It's extraordinary how little we do remember. It's almost as if memory is not considered useful by nature'. So how does memory work, and why do most experiences leave little trace while some leave memories that last a lifetime? Drawing on many fascinating case studies, the author, a distinguished neuroscientist, reveals how some of the best clues to understanding how memories are created come from understanding how memories are lost. He shows how lasting memories are not stored instantly. Rather, the consolidation of long-term memory takes time, and the disruption of newly consolidating memories leaves them permanently weakened. But why is time required? Is the brain a design failure? Perhaps, but most likely not, says the author. The slow consolidation of memory has, he contends, an important adaptive consequence. It allows physiological processes activated by experiences to regulate the strength of the memory for the experiences. Experiences initiate the consolidation of memory. Emotionally arousing experiences also induce the release of stress hormones, which can then act on the brain to influence the consolidation of recent experience. Insignificant experiences therefore leave only fleeting traces and significant experiences become memorable, findings that have important implications for the controversial issues of post-traumatic stress disorder and repressed memory syndrome.

About this title

About the Author

James L. McGaugh is Director of the Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at the University of California in Irvine. He pioneered research into the influence of drugs and hormones on memory, and has written more than 400 scientific papers and co-authored several textbooks. He has appeared on numerous television programmes, including documentaries for the BBC and PBS.

From the Back Cover

'What could make a book about the biology of memory exciting and interesting, as well as informative? A composition of equal parts history, personal anecdote, and state-of-the-art science written by a pioneer in the field who writes both clearly and beautifully. McGaugh explains many of the mysteries of memory that have puzzled philosophers and psychologists for centuries and emphasises that a full account of memory is still a work in progress - in which, by the way, he continues to play a major role. It is a MUST READ for anyone who wants to comprehend memory, and for everyone who seeks its scientific explanation in a highly digestible form.' PROF. HOWARD EICHENBAUM, BOSTON UNIVERSITY

'In this memorable work, the leading behavioural neuroscientist of our time has succeeded marvellously in preserving the presence of those behavioural researchers who have memorialised the field. The excitement this book is likely to create should etch its contents in the memories of lay readers and future neuroscientists alike.' PROF. ROGER PITMAN, HARVARD UNIVERSITY

'This informative, highly readable and accessible book explains the psychological science of everyday memory - what it is, how it works, and what has been learned from studies of extraordinary memory, emotion, and amnesia.' PROF. LARRY SQUIRE, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO

'A highly readable and authoritative account by one of the world's leading researchers on the brain mechanisms of emotion and memory.' PROF. LARRY WEISKRANTZ, OXFORD UNIVERSITY

'If you have ever wondered why you can remember some things, while others slip away, read this unforgettable book.' PROF. RICHARD MORRIS, UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

From the Inside Flap

Whether implicit or explicit, whether it's whom you met and what you did last weekend, or how to drive a car, our memories connect the past to the present and allow us to form expectations of the future. They are our most important assets, and without them life as we know it would be impossible. But memories come in many different forms and vary substantially in strength; some, such as the place you put your keys half an hour ago, can be very brief, while others can remain etched in our minds till the day we die.

Of all memories, those of emotionally arousing events tend to be the best remembered. Here, James L. McGaugh, who has long been at the forefront of research into the neurobiology of learning, explains why this is. Along the way he reveals exactly what we know, and what still remains mysterious, about this most intriguing of subjects. Against a historical background, from the first scientific studies of learning just over a century ago to the latest cutting-edge research, he asks many intriguing questions: how are memories made and preserved? Are long-term memories simply rehearsed and strengthened short-term memories? Why do most experiences fade and disappear with time, and would it be a good thing if they didn't? How do stress hormones influence the consolidation of memories and might drugs improve our ability to learn? What do studies of extraordinary memories and disorders tell us about the workings of the brain systems involved in memory formation? And lastly, why is remembering a creative act that can, and often does, produce faulty memories of our experiences?

Peppered with personal anecdotes and fascinating insight, Memory and Emotion is an accessible and thought-provoking look at how we remember and why we forget.

Edition details

• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0297645935
• ISBN 13: 9780297645931
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 176