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Science Magazine Podcast

Why babies forget, and how fear lingers in the brain

Mar 14, 2024
Discover why infants' memories fade and how the brain encodes generalized fear. From infantile amnesia to the lingering effects of fear on the brain, this podcast explores fascinating neuroscience topics. Uncover the mysteries of memory formation and fear responses, with implications for conditions like Alzheimer's and anxiety disorders like PTSD.
29:14

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Infantile amnesia suggests early memories may be suppressed rather than never formed, prompting research on memory consolidation.
  • Generalized fear involves a neurotransmitter switch in the brain, offering insights into potential therapeutic interventions for fear-related disorders.

Deep dives

Understanding Infantile Amnesia

Infantile amnesia refers to the phenomenon where individuals cannot recall early childhood memories. Studying this puzzling aspect of memory reveals that early memories may be suppressed rather than never formed. Research suggests that memories from infancy are possibly archived but inaccessible, leading to gaps in recollection. Studies on infantile amnesia in mice and toddlers aim to uncover how and why these memories are not readily accessible and the critical periods when memory consolidation occurs.

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