There are some experiences in our life that do not forget to forget – especially those who are scary or mentally shocking. A painful accident, fear of childhood, sudden death of a beloved or a terrible scene, all these remain in our mind for years. But have you ever wondered where such scary memories are hidden in our mind? Now scientists have discovered a shocking answer to this question. In a recent research, scientists have claimed that old scary and traumatic memories are stored in parts called “Hipocampus” and “Emigdala” of the brain. These two parts together not only store memories, but also decide which memories will last long and which will disappear slowly.
Amigadala: center of expression of emotions
Amygdala is the part of the brain that controls our emotional experiences, especially intense feelings such as fear, anger and nervousness. When a scary phenomenon decreases, the emigadala becomes active and immediately puts the body in the “fight or flight” mode. During this process, he records the event deeply so that if the situation comes again in the future, we should be cautious. Scientists say that Amigadala not only stores the scary memories but whenever we miss a situation, the same part “alive” again-as if that incident has just happened. This is the reason that some people are unable to get out of the trauma and they keep coming to flashbacks again and again.
Hipocampus: Library of Memories
The second important part of the brain is Hippocampus, which is associated with our long -term memory. It sequentially saves our experiences – such as a video recorder. Although the hipocampus itself is not emotional, it together with Amigadala decides which memories are so “serious” that they should stay in the brain for a long time. In the experiments conducted on mice, they saw that when the rats went through a scary experience, both their hipcampas and emigadala became highly active. And when the same experience was recited or repeated, those parts were re -activated – just as humans are reminded of a horrific accident.
Can scary memories be erased?
This question has now become the direction of new discovery for scientists. Recently, some research is making efforts whether these memories can be eradicated from the brain or their effect can be reduced. For this, testing on neurostimulation, mindfulness therapy and some new types of drugs continues, although experts also believe that not all scary memories are harmful. Some frightening experiences also become a learning of life, and help us to be cautious in the future.
