Study Reveals Important Brain Mechanism for Memory Formation

A research team from the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Barcelona, the UB Institute of Neurosciences (UBneuro), and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) has discovered a key neurophysiological mechanism in memory formation in humans. They identified ripple-type brain waves, high-frequency electrical oscillations that organize information stored in the brain as memories. These findings were published in the journal Nature Communications, shedding light on how memory works in the human brain and offering insights into memory-related disorders.

The study, led by Lluís Fuentemilla from IDIBELL and UBneuro, involved researchers from various institutions, including Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Columbia University, Ruhr University Bochum, and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.

Memory is based on the recollection of specific episodes, and the brain segments experiences to convert them into memories. Ripples play a crucial role in coordinating information transfer between brain regions, aiding in memory integration and consolidation.

In a pioneering experiment, researchers recorded brain activity in ten epilepsy patients while they watched an episode of a TV series. The results showed that ripple waves occurred in both the hippocampus and neocortical areas, with different activation patterns, suggesting coordination between these brain structures.