MADISON, Wis., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. psychologists say they may have determined if memories decay on their own or are harmed by interference from similar memories.
Although the notion of decay makes sense, University of Wisconsin-Madison psychology Assistant Professor Brad Postle, says it may be inaccurate.
"Psychologists have known for decades that the intuitive notion of decay is probably less of a factor in forgetting than is interference (which occurs when) other remembered information disrupts, competes with or confuses the information that you want to remember."
Postle, Guilio Tononi of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Eva Federoes, a psychology researcher, studied the brain's prefrontal cortex -- the inferior frontal gyrus -- and determined it is essential for blocking interference, Eventually, Postle said he hopes locating the site of specific memory operations in the brain may help the millions of people with declining memories.
"Understanding how the brain controls interference may be a first step to helping people with memory problems," he said.
The research is detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
