Research result that anyone can acquire "super memory" depending on practice

ByRichard Derrick

"Memory of 520 digits in 5 minutes" and compete for memoryMemory competitionLike to participate inMemory athleteAs well as other athletes, they do many hours of daily training. "Super memory" sounds like genius talent, but the latest research that examined the brains of memory athletes showed that ordinary people can also gain superior memory by training.

Mnemonic Training Reshapes Brain Networks to Support Superior Memory: Neuron
http://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(17)30087-9

Do not Forget: You, Too, Can Acquire a Super Memory - Scientific American
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dont-forget-you-too-can-acquire-a-super-memory/

This research was conducted by a team led by Associate Professor Martin Dresler of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Radovoud in the Netherlands. According to the research team, it seems that it is possible for ordinary people to dramatically improve their memory if they do the memory technique that memory athlete is doing.

Researchers combined "behavior test" and "brain scan" and examined the differences between memory athletes and the general public. After performing the brain scan, it turned out that the connection pattern of the memory athlete's brain was different from the general people, but when the general person trained for several weeks with the memory technique used by the memory athlete, the memory is dramatic It is said that it improved to. At this time, it seems that the connection pattern of the general human's brain was drawing a shape similar to that of the memory athlete.

We know that certain skills change brains from previous studies, such as "Taxi drivers needing to guide London streets like labyrinth have developed gray matter of the hippocampus". I will. Top athletes who participate in memory competitions use memory techniques to accomplish special tasks such as "to remember the numbers of cards in a row in a few minutes", and researchers used memory athletes I also tried to clarify whether I am changing the brain, and if changes are occurring, "How is it going"?

ByTourist_on_earth

In the survey, 23 memory athletes were first compared with the control group based on age, sex, IQ. We performed a brain scan on both the state not doing anything and the memory task. Then, there was no difference in a specific brain region, but it turned out that connectivity of memory athletes' brains is greatly different from general people in both normal time and memory time. "There is no difference in the overall hardware, but something more subtle differences were happening," Dresler says.

Next, the researchers divided 51 subjects who had no experience of memory training into 3 groups, memory training for Memo athlete in Group 1, group 2 for different memory training , Group 3 did not do memory training at all. People in Group 1 trained the method of "memory palace" for 30 minutes and 6 weeks a day. The memorial palace is also called the "location law" and the memory method of thinking about a specific place and arranging what he wishes to memorize in that place,Ancient Greek minstrelAlthough it is an old method that is said to have also been done, many memory athletes are practicing even now. And group 2 is not suitable for long-term memory,N Back taskI had the training done.

Then, the memory power of Group 2 and Group 3 did not change, but the memory power of Group 1 people dramatically improved in 6 weeks. Although the structural change in the brain was not seen, the connection pattern in normal time and memory time was that it became similar to that of memory athletes. "The interesting thing is not just a change of" memory is good "as action but a similarity with a memory athlete at the level of the brain that the brains of the general people are the best in the world It is to be transformed into a pattern of people with memory, "Dresler said.

James McGaugh, a brain neurobiologist who did not participate in this study, said that although research by Dr. Dresler et al. Has similarities to studies for London taxa drivers and others, I focused on the connectivity of the whole brain rather than focusing on it "as a major difference. "This research is one that proves that" our brain can be trained at any time. " Also, Professor Craig Stark, also a neurobiologist, received the results of this study and said, "As you learn something new, the way your brain and information are processed will change, which will change your view of the world "I tell you.

ByLacie Slezak