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Image: © ISTOCKPHOTO/LISE GAGNE
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ERASE MODE:
Scientists speculate that during sleep, the neocortex drives the
clearing of information stored in the hippocampus, the brain region
responsible for episodic memory |
For some 40 years, neuroscientists have believed that
the brain forms memories by using a "sketch pad" to quickly record
experiences and information learned throughout the day.
Stenographic duties, under this model, fall to the hippocampus, the
two slightly curved sections of the brain located under the temporal
lobe that are implicated in episodic memory. During sleep, the thinking
goes, neurons in the hippocampus fire, driving a transfer of its
information to the neocortex, the top layer of the cerebrum that serves
as the brain's hard disk, or permanent storage bin. This model seemed
to explain why people with hippocampus damage could recall old memories
but could not create new ones.
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2:08:36 AM 
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