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For three days in April, Birmingham plays host to some of the world's greatest brains at the BNA2017 Festival of Neuroscience. But what can we really learn from brain science? Find out at this special event at the lovely Cherry Red's, where past stars of Pint of Science are joined by exciting newcomers for two evenings of cutting-edge science in the pub. Tonight's event explores memory. How are memories formed? Can they ever be changed? Researchers Bernhard Staresina and Jonathon Lee explain how they investigate these questions, and reveal what we know so far.
How do we build memories?
Dr Bernhard Staresina
(Birmingham Fellow, University of Birmingham)
How are new experiences transformed into durable memories? In my talk I will focus on the brain’s memory machinery and how we can observe the creation of new memories as events unfold.
Can we change our memories?
Dr Jonathon Lee
(Reader in Neuroscience, University of Birmingham)
We tend to think of our memories as being unchanging once we have acquired them. However, we increasingly understand that memories do change over time. This might be a natural phenomenon that allows memories to remain relevant and useful, but it also might result in inaccurate memories. Moreover, our understanding of memory malleability may also be exploited in the treatment of some disorders, such as PTSD & drug addiction.
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