There are many things that can be forgotten but there are also many things that you will never forget for the rest of your life like… riding a bicycle is an example.
Most of us learn to ride a bike in childhood. But as we get older, many people stop riding bikes and put those beloved bikes in storage. Years later, even if we don’t ride a bike, we can still ride very well. Why?
Explaining this problem, neuroscientist Boris Suchan said that in the human brain there are two separate areas where all kinds of information are stored. Specifically, human long-term memory is divided into two categories: “declarative” and “procedural” . In particular, the “procedural” memory is said to be the place to store human habits and customs.
Many years without cycling, we can still ride very proficiently.
Scientists have found out why people who have not ridden a bicycle for many years can still use it very well.
As for declarative memory, there are two types: Recollections of experiences like the first day of school and the first kiss. The next side is actual, acquired knowledge. These two types of declarative memory content have one thing in common – you are aware of knowledge and can communicate memories to others.
However, skills, such as playing an instrument or riding a bicycle, are anchored in a separate system of “procedural” memory.
One of the most famous studies ever to show the existence of a separate memory system was the case of an epileptic patient named Henry Gustav Molaison.
During the 1950s, he underwent the removal of parts of his brain. After the surgery, doctors discovered that although the number of seizures had decreased, Henry Gustav Molaison was unable to form new memories. Many of his memories of earlier times were also erased.
Even with a brain injury, it is almost impossible for a person to use a bicycle for many years without using a bicycle.
To learn more about Henry Gustav Molaison’s dementia, neuroscientists performed various tests.
In one experiment, neuroscientists asked Henry Gustav Molaison to draw a pentagram on a piece of paper while only looking through a mirror – meaning the image was inverted. Although Henry Gustav Molaison’s hand-eye coordination skills improved over the course of a few days, Henry Gustav Molaison never remembered performing it. This means that Henry Gustav Molaison can develop new procedures, but cannot declare memories.
Through various studies, scientists have found that, even with brain injury resulting in injury to the “procedural” memory system, it is almost impossible to lead to human failure even after years of non-use. Bicycles can still be used as usual.
Previously, scientists from many universities around the world such as the University of Aberdeen, London, Turin and New York have also claimed to have discovered an important type of neuron in the cerebellum that can help people for a lifetime. never forget skills like riding a bike, skiing or using chopsticks…