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Our brain prefers to memorize what is associated with a reward.

An interesting conclusion from the experiments came from neuroscientists at the University of California. It turns out that our brain filters the incoming flow of information, selecting for memorization in the first place the one that is associated with the reward. And more precisely, the priorities are memories = information related to the already received reward. Why…

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Only a small part of the flow of information falling on us is remembered in detail. In order not to store in memory an excess of insignificant details, our brain leaves first of all those related to reward. This conclusion was made by the neurobiologists Matthias Gruber and Charan Ranganat on the basis of the experiments performed.

In the study, the results obtained using the fMRI apparatus were used. In the first part of the experiment, divided into several stages, its participants were shown various objects, asking irrelevant questions, such as: does the volunteer in the picture weigh more than the basketball? The answer to the question had to look extremely monosyllabic: “yes” or “no.” Each of the objects was demonstrated against a certain background, creating a context, depending on which, what was reported to the subjects, the amount of material reward varied. In the final, the participant was informed of the amount won during testing.
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After the end of the first round of the experiment, the participants were allowed to relax and unwind while taking a tomogram, as before.

At the next stage, the subjects, unexpectedly for them, were asked to recall how well they memorized the objects viewed in the first part of the experiment. Absolutely all the test participants showed similar results: objects that in their perception were associated with a higher reward were remembered much better. Moreover, in this case, it was better to remember not only the objects themselves, but also the context accompanying them - the background, the colors, the individual details.

Interestingly, on the tomogram made during the rest period after the first stage of the experiment, the scientists were able to record the same activity pattern as at the time when the subject performed the task for a high reward. This could mean only one thing: the participants in the experiment repeatedly scrolled through the memory of events related to the opportunity to receive a higher reward. As a result, the event was better fixed in the memory, which was further demonstrated by subsequent testing.

An increased interaction between the hippocampus (brain structure associated with memory) and the zone associated with the response to receive reward (ventral tegmental zone) was also noted. This suggested that reward plays a significant role in stimulating the hippocampus in the learning process. It was also suggested that the formation of bonds in the hippocampus is accompanied by the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that performs the role of a natural “prize for successful work”.

On the other hand, as scientists assume, in the process of aging with the development of Alzheimer's disease, the volume of emitted dopamine decreases, which manifests itself as a worsening of memory.

The mechanism described by neuroscientists from the University of California works flawlessly, but the question remains: is it always that which prefers to preserve our brain is useful for our development in the foreseeable and distant future?
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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/394045/


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