The Science of Forgetting: Are We Studying the Wrong Brain?

The Brain That Forgets / The Brain That Remembers

Neuroscience has traditionally centered memory in the hippocampus. But we now know that memory is distributed across multiple networks:

• sensory
• emotional
• autobiographical
• procedural
• embodied memory

Someone may forget the date, but still remember how to dance. A mother may lose names, but instinctively strokes her child’s face.

So the question becomes: Why do some memories fade while others stay? And how can we support the memories that persist?

Recent research suggests that dementia may be less about memory disappearing and more about memory becoming inaccessible due to communication breakdowns between neural networks. This means that stimulation, routine, music, and emotional connection may unlock memory access, even when cognitive tests show decline.

Are We Measuring the Wrong Outcomes?

Conventional dementia assessments are heavily biased toward short-term recall, time orientation, and verbal tests.

These tools often overlook:

• Humor
• Social awareness
• Emotional presence
• Musical memory
• Non-verbal intelligence
• Creativity
• Capacity for joy

In real life, these abilities matter deeply.

A person may not recall breakfast, yet they may still laugh at a joke or respond with warmth to a familiar song. These are functional forms of consciousness. They reflect identity, meaning, and personhood.

By focusing only on what is “lost,” we risk missing the person who is still very much here.

A More Human-Centered Approach to Memory

Supporting someone with MCI or dementia means working with the brain that remains functional, not only compensating for what is failing.

Practical approaches include:

• Using music to activate emotional memory networks
• Encouraging touch, routine, familiar scents, and sensory grounding
• Enabling purposeful tasks, even simple ones
• Prioritizing social connection, which protects cognition
• Reducing overstimulation and stress, which disrupts neural communication

These strategies are low-cost, accessible, and powerful. And they do not require waiting for the next breakthrough drug.

As we often highlight at MCI and Beyond, meaningful care is not just medical. It is relational, environmental, and emotional.

The Future of Dementia Research

Emerging fields like neuroplasticity and consciousness studies are leading us to new questions:

• What neural networks stay intact the longest?
• How can we reinforce those networks early?
• How do emotions protect memory pathways?
• Can purpose and identity slow decline?

This is not false hope. It is evidence-based, human-centered neuroscience.

If we want to improve dementia care, we need to stop focusing exclusively on the brain that forgets and start studying the brain that remembers.

References & Further Reading

• MCI and Beyond Articles: https://mciandbeyond.org/en/blog
• Cavedo, E. et al. (2023). Network Disconnection and Memory Accessibility in Dementia.
• Harris, A., & De Strooper, B. (2021). The Neurobiology of Memory Loss.

Keywords

Mild Cognitive Impairment, dementia care, memory loss, neuroplasticity, brain networks, Alzheimer’s, emotional memory, caregiving, MCI support, brain health.

Hashtags

#MCIandBeyond #DementiaCare #BrainHealth #MemoryMatters #CaregivingWithCompassion #AlzheimersAwareness #Neuroplasticity #ConsciousAging #CognitiveHealth #BrainScience #DementiaSupport