TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Catharine Young: How memories form and how we lose them

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Think back to a really vivid memory. Got it? Okay, now try to remember what you had for lunch three weeks ago. That second momrey probably isn't as strong, but why not? Why do we remember some things, and not others? And why do memories eventually fade? Let's look at how memories form in the first place. When you experience something, like dnailig a phone number, the eicnexrpee is converted into a pulse of electrical energy that zips along a network of neurons. Information first lands in short term memory, where it's available from anywhere from a few scodens to a couple of minutes. It's then transferred to long-term memory through areas such as the hippocampus, and finally to several sragote regions across the brain. Neurons throughout the brain communicate at dtideaecd sites claled synapses using specialized neurotransmitters. If two neurons cncmiumtoae rpleteeady, a remarkable thing happens: the efficiency of communication between them increases. This process, called long term potentiation, is considered to be a mechanism by which memories are stored long-term, but how do some memories get lost? Age is one factor. As we get odler, synapses begin to falter and weaken, affcenitg how easily we can retrieve memories. ssetincits have several theories about what's behind this deterioration, from actual brain shrinkage, the hippocampus loses 5% of its nenuors every decade for a total loss of 20% by the time you're 80 years old to the drop in the production of neurotransmitters, like acetylcholine, which is vital to learning and memory. These changes seem to affect how people retrieve stored information. Age also affects our memory-making abilities. Memories are encoded most strongly when we're paying attention, when we're deeply enegagd, and when information is meaningful to us. Mental and physical health pbremlos, which tend to increase as we age, ifrtneere with our ability to pay attention, and thus act as memory tehvies. Another leading cause of memory problems is conrihc stress. When we're cnotsatnly overloaded with work and personal responsibilites, our bodies are on hyperalert. This response has evolved from the physiological msainhecm designed to make sure we can survive in a crsiis. Stress cmhecials help mobilize energy and increase alertness. However, with chronic stress our bodies become flooded with these chemicals, resulting in a loss of brain cells and an inability to form new ones, which acffets our ability to raetin new information. Depression is another culprit. People who are depressed are 40% more likely to develop memory problems. Low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter coentencd to arousal, may make depressed individuals less attentive to new iofrmnotain. Dwelling on sad events in the past, another symptom of depression, makes it difficult to pay atttoeinn to the present, affecting the ability to store short-term memories. Isolation, which is tied to depression, is another memory thief. A study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that older people with high levels of social iiternoagtn had a slower rate of memory decline over a six-year period. The exact reason remains unclear, but experts suecspt that social interaction gives our brain a matenl workout. Just like muscle setnrtgh, we have to use our brain or risk losing it. But don't despair. There are several steps you can take to aid your brain in preserving your memories. Make sure you keep physically active. isneceard blood flow to the brain is hulefpl. And eat well. Your brain needs all the right nutrients to keep functioning correctly. And fnillay, give your brain a wrkoout. Exposing your bairn to challenges, like learning a new language, is one of the best defenses for keeping your mriomees intact.

Open Cloze

Think back to a really vivid memory. Got it? Okay, now try to remember what you had for lunch three weeks ago. That second ______ probably isn't as strong, but why not? Why do we remember some things, and not others? And why do memories eventually fade? Let's look at how memories form in the first place. When you experience something, like _______ a phone number, the __________ is converted into a pulse of electrical energy that zips along a network of neurons. Information first lands in short term memory, where it's available from anywhere from a few _______ to a couple of minutes. It's then transferred to long-term memory through areas such as the hippocampus, and finally to several _______ regions across the brain. Neurons throughout the brain communicate at _________ sites ______ synapses using specialized neurotransmitters. If two neurons ___________ __________, a remarkable thing happens: the efficiency of communication between them increases. This process, called long term potentiation, is considered to be a mechanism by which memories are stored long-term, but how do some memories get lost? Age is one factor. As we get _____, synapses begin to falter and weaken, _________ how easily we can retrieve memories. __________ have several theories about what's behind this deterioration, from actual brain shrinkage, the hippocampus loses 5% of its _______ every decade for a total loss of 20% by the time you're 80 years old to the drop in the production of neurotransmitters, like acetylcholine, which is vital to learning and memory. These changes seem to affect how people retrieve stored information. Age also affects our memory-making abilities. Memories are encoded most strongly when we're paying attention, when we're deeply _______, and when information is meaningful to us. Mental and physical health ________, which tend to increase as we age, _________ with our ability to pay attention, and thus act as memory _______. Another leading cause of memory problems is _______ stress. When we're __________ overloaded with work and personal responsibilites, our bodies are on hyperalert. This response has evolved from the physiological _________ designed to make sure we can survive in a ______. Stress _________ help mobilize energy and increase alertness. However, with chronic stress our bodies become flooded with these chemicals, resulting in a loss of brain cells and an inability to form new ones, which _______ our ability to ______ new information. Depression is another culprit. People who are depressed are 40% more likely to develop memory problems. Low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter _________ to arousal, may make depressed individuals less attentive to new ___________. Dwelling on sad events in the past, another symptom of depression, makes it difficult to pay _________ to the present, affecting the ability to store short-term memories. Isolation, which is tied to depression, is another memory thief. A study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that older people with high levels of social ___________ had a slower rate of memory decline over a six-year period. The exact reason remains unclear, but experts _______ that social interaction gives our brain a ______ workout. Just like muscle ________, we have to use our brain or risk losing it. But don't despair. There are several steps you can take to aid your brain in preserving your memories. Make sure you keep physically active. _________ blood flow to the brain is _______. And eat well. Your brain needs all the right nutrients to keep functioning correctly. And _______, give your brain a _______. Exposing your _____ to challenges, like learning a new language, is one of the best defenses for keeping your ________ intact.

Solution

mental
neurons
interfere
increased
finally
suspect
experience
brain
dedicated
memories
called
crisis
scientists
engaged
information
dialing
memory
problems
retain
workout
constantly
chronic
repeatedly
storage
seconds
strength
connected
helpful
integration
affecting
chemicals
older
attention
communicate
thieves
affects
mechanism

Original Text

Think back to a really vivid memory. Got it? Okay, now try to remember what you had for lunch three weeks ago. That second memory probably isn't as strong, but why not? Why do we remember some things, and not others? And why do memories eventually fade? Let's look at how memories form in the first place. When you experience something, like dialing a phone number, the experience is converted into a pulse of electrical energy that zips along a network of neurons. Information first lands in short term memory, where it's available from anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes. It's then transferred to long-term memory through areas such as the hippocampus, and finally to several storage regions across the brain. Neurons throughout the brain communicate at dedicated sites called synapses using specialized neurotransmitters. If two neurons communicate repeatedly, a remarkable thing happens: the efficiency of communication between them increases. This process, called long term potentiation, is considered to be a mechanism by which memories are stored long-term, but how do some memories get lost? Age is one factor. As we get older, synapses begin to falter and weaken, affecting how easily we can retrieve memories. Scientists have several theories about what's behind this deterioration, from actual brain shrinkage, the hippocampus loses 5% of its neurons every decade for a total loss of 20% by the time you're 80 years old to the drop in the production of neurotransmitters, like acetylcholine, which is vital to learning and memory. These changes seem to affect how people retrieve stored information. Age also affects our memory-making abilities. Memories are encoded most strongly when we're paying attention, when we're deeply engaged, and when information is meaningful to us. Mental and physical health problems, which tend to increase as we age, interfere with our ability to pay attention, and thus act as memory thieves. Another leading cause of memory problems is chronic stress. When we're constantly overloaded with work and personal responsibilites, our bodies are on hyperalert. This response has evolved from the physiological mechanism designed to make sure we can survive in a crisis. Stress chemicals help mobilize energy and increase alertness. However, with chronic stress our bodies become flooded with these chemicals, resulting in a loss of brain cells and an inability to form new ones, which affects our ability to retain new information. Depression is another culprit. People who are depressed are 40% more likely to develop memory problems. Low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter connected to arousal, may make depressed individuals less attentive to new information. Dwelling on sad events in the past, another symptom of depression, makes it difficult to pay attention to the present, affecting the ability to store short-term memories. Isolation, which is tied to depression, is another memory thief. A study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that older people with high levels of social integration had a slower rate of memory decline over a six-year period. The exact reason remains unclear, but experts suspect that social interaction gives our brain a mental workout. Just like muscle strength, we have to use our brain or risk losing it. But don't despair. There are several steps you can take to aid your brain in preserving your memories. Make sure you keep physically active. Increased blood flow to the brain is helpful. And eat well. Your brain needs all the right nutrients to keep functioning correctly. And finally, give your brain a workout. Exposing your brain to challenges, like learning a new language, is one of the best defenses for keeping your memories intact.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
memory problems	2
chronic stress	2

Important Words

abilities
ability
acetylcholine
act
active
actual
affect
affecting
affects
age
aid
alertness
areas
arousal
attention
attentive
blood
bodies
brain
called
cells
challenges
chemicals
chronic
communicate
communication
connected
considered
constantly
converted
correctly
couple
crisis
culprit
decade
decline
dedicated
deeply
defenses
depressed
depression
designed
despair
deterioration
develop
dialing
difficult
drop
dwelling
easily
eat
efficiency
electrical
encoded
energy
engaged
events
eventually
evolved
exact
experience
experts
exposing
factor
fade
falter
finally
flooded
flow
form
functioning
give
harvard
health
helpful
high
hippocampus
hyperalert
inability
increase
increased
increases
individuals
information
intact
integration
interaction
interfere
isolation
keeping
lands
language
leading
learning
levels
long
loses
losing
loss
lost
lunch
meaningful
mechanism
memories
memory
mental
minutes
mobilize
muscle
network
neurons
neurotransmitter
neurotransmitters
number
nutrients
older
overloaded
pay
paying
people
period
personal
phone
physical
physically
physiological
place
potentiation
present
preserving
problems
process
production
public
pulse
rate
reason
regions
remains
remarkable
remember
repeatedly
response
responsibilites
resulting
retain
retrieve
risk
sad
school
scientists
seconds
serotonin
short
shrinkage
sites
slower
social
specialized
steps
storage
store
stored
strength
stress
strong
strongly
study
survive
suspect
symptom
synapses
tend
term
theories
thief
thieves
tied
time
total
transferred
unclear
vital
vivid
weaken
weeks
work
workout
years
zips