Study Reveals How Short and Long-Term Memory Work and Compete With Each Other

The way in which short and long-term motor memory work together and compete against one another has been uncovered by scientists. The research - from a team led by Nicolas Schweighofer of the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at USC - could potentially pave the way to more effective rehabilitation for stroke patients.

If you focus on learning motor skills sequentially - for example, two overhand ball throws - you will acquire each fairly quickly, but are more likely to forget them later.

However, if you split your time up between learning multiple motor skills - say, learning two different throws - you will learn them more slowly but be more likely to remember them both later, researchers say.

In short, if your brain can rely on your short-term motor memory to handle memorizing a single motor task, then it will do so, failing to engage your long-term memory in the process.

However, if you deny your brain that option by continually switching from learning one task to the other, your long-term memory will kick in instead.

It will take longer to learn both, but you won't forget them later, the report concludes.

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The study has been published in the Journal of Neurophysiology.

Source-ANI