WASHINGTON, D.C.: A new study reveals how our past experiences can affect our brain’s response to memory and recognition and may help in the development of therapies for those with schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers have examined regions of the brain that are responsible for recognizing and remembering objects and shed light on their inner workings, revealing that past experiences can affect recognition and memory. The findings could help scientists develop therapies for those suffering from schizophrenia as well as Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders where people have a hard time recognizing familiar objects or people.
“Our study suggests that past experience with an object alters the brain circuitry responsible for object recognition,” Boyer Winters, who headed the research team, said in a press release. “It has significant implications for our understanding of multisensory information processing.”
Multisensory information processing is an important part of memory and refers to the process whereby two distinct kinds of memory are integrated in order to aid in recognition. For example, if you hold an object while blindfolded, you will likely recognize it by touch alone if you have seen it before, a process rooted in multisensory integration…