How memories form and how we lose them - Catharine Young

Kako nastaju i kako se gube sjećanja - Catharine Young

Prevoditelj: Mirjana Zekic Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

Think back to a really vivid memory.

Sjetite se nečeg zaista živopisnog.

Got it?

Jeste li?

Okay, now try to remember what you had for lunch three weeks ago.

U redu. Sada se sjetite što ste imali za ručak prije tri tjedna.

That second memory probably isn't as strong,

To vam vjerojatno nije ostalo u sjećanju.

but why not?

Koji je razlog tome?

Why do we remember some things, and not others?

Zašto neke stvari pamtimo, a druge ne?

And why do memories eventually fade?

I zašto se sjećanja s vremenom gube?

Let's look at how memories form in the first place.

Pogledajmo kako se uopče sjećanja stvaraju.

When you experience something, like dialing a phone number,

Kada nešto uradite, recimo izbirate telefonski broj

the experience is converted into a pulse of electrical energy

to iskustvo se pretvori u puls električne energije

that zips along a network of neurons.

koji se prenosi kroz mrežu neurona.

Information first lands in short term memory,

Informacija prvo odlazi u kratkoročno pamćenje,

where it's available from anywhere from a few seconds

gdje je dostupna u razmaku od nekoliko sekundi

to a couple of minutes.

do dvije minute.

It's then transferred to long-term memory through areas such as the hippocampus,

Zatim je putem hipokampusa prebačena u dugoročno pamćenje

and finally to several storage regions across the brain.

i naposlijetku u različita područja za pohranu memorije u mozgu.

Neurons throughout the brain communicate at dedicated sites

Neuroni u mozgu komuniciraju na određenim mjestima

called synapses

takozvanim sinapsama

using specialized neurotransmitters.

pomoću specijaliziranih neurotransmitera.

If two neurons communicate repeatedly, a remarkable thing happens:

Ako dva neurona komuniciraju u više navrata, događa se izvanredna stvar

the efficiency of communication between them increases.

This process, called long term potentiation,

Ovaj proces, zvan dugoročno pojačavanje,

is considered to be a mechanism by which memories are stored long-term,

smatra se mehanizmom kojim su sjećanja dugoročno pohranjena,

but how do some memories get lost?

ali kako se neka sjećanja izgube?

Age is one factor.

Jedan od faktora je dob.

As we get older, synapses begin to falter and weaken,

Kako starimo sinpse popuštaju i slabe,

affecting how easily we can retrieve memories.

i tako utječu na način kojim dolazimo do uspomena.

Scientists have several theories about what's behind this deterioration,

Znanstvenici imaju nekoliko teorija o tome što se nalazi iza tog propadanja,

from actual brain shrinkage,

od stvarnog skupljanja mozga,

the hippocampus loses 5% of its neurons every decade

hipokampus gubi 5 % svojih neurona svakog desetljeća

for a total loss of 20% by the time you're 80 years old

ukupno 20% do 80 godina starosti

to the drop in the production of neurotransmitters,

do pada proizvodnje neurotransmitora,

like acetylcholine, which is vital to learning and memory.

kao naprimjer acetilkolina, od vitalnog značaja za učenje i pamćenje .

These changes seem to affect how people retrieve stored information.

Te promjene izgleda utječu na način na koji ljudi dolaze do pohranjenih podataka.

Age also affects our memory-making abilities.

Dob utječe na našu sposobnost stvaranja memorija.

Memories are encoded most strongly when we're paying attention,

Sjećanja su najjače kodirana kad obračamo pažnju,

when we're deeply engaged, and when information is meaningful to us.

kad nas se tiču emotivno, i kad su za nas značajna.

Mental and physical health problems, which tend to increase as we age,

Mentalni i fizički zdravstveni problemi, koji se povećavaju sa starosti,

interfere with our ability to pay attention,

ometaju našu sposobnost da obratimo pozornost,

and thus act as memory thieves.

a time djeluju kao i kradljivci memorije.

Another leading cause of memory problems is chronic stress.

Drugi vodeći uzrok problema s pamćenjem je kronični stres.

When we're constantly overloaded with work and personal responsibilites,

Kad smo stalno preopterećena s radom i odgovornostima,

our bodies are on hyperalert.

naša tijela su preuzbuđena.

This response has evolved from the physiological mechanism

To je rezultat fiziološkog mehanizma

designed to make sure we can survive in a crisis.

osmišljenog kako bi nam pomogao opstati u krizi.

Stress chemicals help mobilize energy and increase alertness.

Kemikalije stresa pomažu mobilizirati energiju i povećavaju budnost.

However, with chronic stress our bodies become flooded with these chemicals,

S kroničnim stresom naše tijelo se preplavi tim kemikalijama,

resulting in a loss of brain cells and an inability to form new ones,

što ima kao rezultat gubitak stanica mozga i nemogućnosti formirnja novih,

which affects our ability to retain new information.

što utječe na našu sposobnost zadržavanja novih informacija.

Depression is another culprit.

Depresija je još jedan krivac.

People who are depressed are 40% more likely to develop memory problems.

Depresivni ljudi imaju 40% veču mogučnost da razviju probleme s pamćenjem.

Low levels of serotonin,

Niska razina serotonina,

a neurotransmitter connected to arousal,

neurotransmitera povezanog s uzbuđenjem,

may make depressed individuals less attentive to new information.

može učiniti depresivne pojedince manje osjetljivima na nove informacije.

Dwelling on sad events in the past, another symptom of depression,

Razmišljanja o tužnim događajima iz prošlosti, još jedan od znakova depresije,

makes it difficult to pay attention to the present,

otežavaju koncentraciju,

affecting the ability to store short-term memories.

i utječu na sposobnost pohrane kratkoročnog sjećanja.

Isolation, which is tied to depression, is another memory thief.

Osamljenost, koja je povezana s depresijom, utječe na gubitak memorije.

A study by the Harvard School of Public Health

Istraživana sa Harvarda su pokazala

found that older people with high levels of social integration

da su stariji ljudi s visokom razinom socijalne integracije

had a slower rate of memory decline over a six-year period.

imali sporiju stopu pada memorije u razdoblju od šest godina.

The exact reason remains unclear,

Točan razlog ostaje nejasan,

but experts suspect that

ali stručnjaci sumnjaju da

social interaction gives our brain a mental workout.

društvena interakcija daje našem mozgu mentalni trening.

Just like muscle strength,

Baš kao i snagu u mišićima,

we have to use our brain or risk losing it.

moramo iskoristiti naš mozak ili riskiramo njegovo gubitak.

But don't despair.

Ali ne očajavajte.

There are several steps you can take

Možete poduzeti nekoliko koraka

to aid your brain in preserving your memories.

da pomognete mozgu sačuvati pamćenje.

Make sure you keep physically active.

Provjerite jeste li fizički aktivni.

Increased blood flow to the brain is helpful.

Povećan protok krvi u mozgu je korisan.

And eat well.

I jedite zdravo.

Your brain needs all the right nutrients to keep functioning correctly.

To je mozgu potrebno za njegov ispravan rad.

And finally, give your brain a workout.

I na kraju, vježbajte vaš mozak.

Exposing your brain to challenges, like learning a new language,

novi izazovi, kao što je učenje novog jezika,

is one of the best defenses for keeping your memories intact.

jedna su od najboljih obrana protiv gubitka pamćenja.