How memories form and how we lose them - Catharine Young

Prevodilac: Mile Živković Lektor: Ivana Korom

Think back to a really vivid memory.

Zamislite zaista živopisno sećanje.

Got it?

Imate ga?

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

U redu, sada pokušajte da se setite šta ste ručali pre tri nedelje.

That second memory probably isn't as strong,

To drugo sećanje verovatno nije baš tako jako,

but why not?

ali zašto je tako?

Why do we remember some things, and not others?

Zašto neke stvari pamtimo, a neke ne?

And why do memories eventually fade?

I zašto sećanja na kraju blede?

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

Pogledajmo kako se sećanja uopšte stvaraju.

When you experience something, like dialing a phone number,

Kada iskusite nešto poput biranja broja na telefonu,

the experience is converted into a pulse of electrical energy

iskustvo se pretvara u puls električne energije

that zips along a network of neurons.

koji klizi mrežom neurona.

Information first lands in short term memory,

Informacija prvo dođe do kratkotrajnog pamćenja,

where it's available from anywhere from a few seconds

gde stoji od nekoliko sekundi

to a couple of minutes.

do nekoliko minuta.

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

Onda se prebacuje u dugotrajno pamćenje kroz područja poput hipokampusa

and finally to several storage regions across the brain.

i na kraju do nekoliko područja za skladištenje širom mozga.

Neurons throughout the brain communicate at dedicated sites

Neuroni kroz mozak komuniciraju na određenim mestima

called synapses

koja se zovu sinapse

using specialized neurotransmitters.

kroz posebne neurotransmitere.

If two neurons communicate repeatedly, a remarkable thing happens:

Ako dva neurona komuniciraju više puta, desi se neverovatna stvar:

the efficiency of communication between them increases.

efikasnost komunikacije među njima se poboljša.

This process, called long term potentiation,

Ovaj proces, koji se naziva dugotrajna potencijacija,

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

smatra se mehanizmom putem koga se sećanja dugotrajno skladište,

but how do some memories get lost?

ali kako se neka sećanja gube?

Age is one factor.

Godine su jedan faktor.

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

Kako starimo, sinapse slabe

affecting how easily we can retrieve memories.

i utiču na to koliko lako možemo da dosegnemo do sećanja.

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

Naučnici imaju nekoliko teorija o tome šta je uzrok ovog propadanja,

from actual brain shrinkage,

od samog smanjivanja mozga,

the hippocampus loses 5% of its neurons every decade

hipokampus svake decenije gubi oko 5% svojih neurona

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

do konačnog gubitka od 20% do vaše 80. godine,

to the drop in the production of neurotransmitters,

preko pada u proizvodnji neurotransmitera,

like acetylcholine, which is vital to learning and memory.

poput acetilholina, koji je važan za učenje i pamćenje.

These changes seem to affect how people retrieve stored information.

Ove promene izgleda imaju uticaja na to kako ljudi dosežu do informacija.

Age also affects our memory-making abilities.

Godine takođe utiču na našu sposobnost stvaranja sećanja.

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

Sećanja se kodiraju najvećim intenzitetom kada obraćamo pažnju,

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

kada smo duboko uključeni i kada su nam informacije značajne.

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

Mentalni i fizički zdravstveni problemi koji se pojačavaju sa godinama

interfere with our ability to pay attention,

remete našu sposobnost da obraćamo pažnju

and thus act as memory thieves.

i tako kradu pamćenje.

Another leading cause of memory problems is chronic stress.

Drugi vodeći uzrok problema s pamćenjem je hronični stres.

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

Kada smo stalno preopterećeni radom i ličnim odgovornostima,

our bodies are on hyperalert.

tela su nam stalno uzbuđena.

This response has evolved from the physiological mechanism

Ovaj odgovor se razvio iz fiziološkog mehanizma

designed to make sure we can survive in a crisis.

koji je stvoren da se postara da preživimo u krizi.

Stress chemicals help mobilize energy and increase alertness.

Stresne hemikalije pomažu da se mobiliše energija i poveća opreznost.

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

Ipak, sa hroničnim stresom, naša tela postaju preopterećena ovim hemikalijama,

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

što za posledicu ima gubitak ćelija u mozgu i nemogućnost pravljenja novih,

which affects our ability to retain new information.

što utiče na našu sposobnost da zadržimo nove informacije.

Depression is another culprit.

Depresija je još jedan krivac.

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

Depresivne osobe 40% su sklonije problemima sa pamćenjem.

Low levels of serotonin,

Niski nivoi serotonina,

a neurotransmitter connected to arousal,

neurotransmitera povezanog sa uzbuđenjem,

may make depressed individuals less attentive to new information.

može dovesti do toga da oni sa depresijom obraćaju manje pažnje na nove informacije.

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

Razmišljanje o tužnim događajima iz prošlosti,

što je još jedan simptom depresije,

makes it difficult to pay attention to the present,

otežava obraćanje pažnje na sadašnjost

affecting the ability to store short-term memories.

i utiče na mogućnost da se skladište kratkotrajna sećanja.

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

Izolovanost, koja je povezana sa depresijom,

još jedan je kradljivac sećanja.

Istraživanje Harvardove škole javnog zdravlja

A study by the Harvard School of Public Health

found that older people with high levels of social integration

otkrilo je da su starije osobe sa visokim nivoom društvene integracije

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

imale sporiji pad u sećanju u periodu od šest godina.

The exact reason remains unclear,

Tačan razlog nije jasan,

but experts suspect that

ali stručnjaci sumnjaju

social interaction gives our brain a mental workout.

da društvena interakcija mozgu daje mentalne vežbe.

Just like muscle strength,

Baš poput snage mišića,

we have to use our brain or risk losing it.

moramo da koristimo mozak ili rizikujemo da ga izgubimo.

But don't despair.

Ali ne očajavajte.

There are several steps you can take

Postoji nekoliko koraka koje možete preduzeti

to aid your brain in preserving your memories.

da pomognete svom mozgu da sačuva vaša sećanja.

Make sure you keep physically active.

Budite fizički aktivni.

Increased blood flow to the brain is helpful.

Povećan tok krvi do mozga pomaže.

And eat well.

Dobro se hranite.

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

Vašem mozgu potrebne su prave hranljive materije da funkcioniše.

And finally, give your brain a workout.

Na kraju, vežbajte mozak.

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

Izlaganje mozga izazovima, poput učenja novog jezika,

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

jedan je od najboljih načina da vaša sećanja ostanu netaknuta.