How do you learn something new? Think about reading or riding a bike. It probably took a lot of practice before you were good at it. You had to repeat it many times. This is how your brain forms memories. It is how it learns. A new study shows that the brain isn’t the only place where memories are made in this way.
Your brain is the control center of your body. It does all your thinking. It communicates with the rest of your body. As information is repeated over time, pathways form in your brain.
The study showed that learning from repetition doesn’t just happen in the brain. Kidney and non-brain nerve cells also showed this property. And the more the information was repeated, the longer the memory stayed. The stronger it was.
Learning about how memories form is important in treating learning and memory-related diseases. It can also improve the way we study and learn. For example, the study showed the importance of taking breaks. So, studying or practicing for hours the night before a test or game might not be the best idea. Scientists also hope they can use the ability of cells to form memories to help treat other diseases.
What Can You Do? How can learning about memory help you study?
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