memory

Taking photos can sometimes hamper our brain's ability to remember important moments in life. If you're more intentional about the photos you take, they can actually help you capture that moment you're hoping to hold on to.

Health & Safety

To Remember The Moment, Try Taking Fewer Photos

4:44pm August 05, 2021

by Daryl Austin

Research shows that snapping too many pictures may harm your ability to retain memories. But selfie addicts, don't despair! There are techniques to make photography enhance memory, not undermine it.

Mice that exercise produce more of an enzyme that can improve memory and other brain functions.

An Enzyme That Increases With Exercise Can Improve Memory In Mice, And Maybe People

6:49pm July 09, 2020

by Richard Harris

When scientists revved up the production of an enzyme called GPLD1 in older mice, it stimulated nerve growth in their brains and the animals navigated a maze better.

Karen Roberds lost her home in the Camp Fire but salvaged a Narcotics Anonymous anniversary coin that she says is important to her.

Objects That Matter: Memories Of Paradise

6:00am December 28, 2019

by Meredith Rizzo

In the year since Paradise, Calif., was devastated by fire, certain flame-tinged objects — scorched pottery fragments or remnants of toys — have become talismans of resilience beyond pain.

Nancy Gustafson (right), an opera singer, used singing to reconnect with her mother, Susan Gustafson, who had dementia and was barely talking. She says her mom started joking and laughing with her again after they sang together.

Health & Safety

Her Mom Was Lost In Dementia's Fog. Singing Christmas Carols Brought Her Back

5:00pm December 24, 2019

by Patti Neighmond

A woman had become barely verbal, an effect of dementia. Her daughter, an opera singer, decided to try singing Christmas songs with her, and they reconnected.

A newly published study from University College London suggests that a single dose of ketamine could help dramatically reduce the alcohol intake of heavy drinkers.

A Single Dose Of Ketamine Might Help Heavy Drinkers, Study Finds

3:07pm November 26, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

Participants in the U.K. experimental study dramatically reduced their average alcohol intake for months after the initial dose. Ketamine has also been used to treat severe depression.

National

What Do You Call The 'Anniversary' Of A Disaster?

1:24pm August 30, 2019

by Leah Donnella

It's been 400 years since the first enslaved Africans were brought to Virginia. But don't call this month an "anniversary."

Bruce Auster's mother, Sylvia, in an old family photo. Originally from Brooklyn, she met her husband Stanley when they both worked at Macy's on 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan.

Arts

Is Santa Real? A Doubting Brother And The Gift Of A Mother's Voice

6:07pm December 23, 2018

by Bruce Auster

As a kid, NPR editor Bruce Auster loved to record his family talking. A snippet of tape captured by chance on a long-ago December night marked a moment before cancer changed everything for his family.

Queue Listen Now

How does the brain's working memory actually work?

Neuroscientists Debate A Simple Question: How Does The Brain Store A Phone Number?

11:54am November 05, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

Working memory is where the brain keeps bits of information in everyday life handy. But brain scientists don't agree on how working memory works.

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A man gets his hearing aid adjusted. Two large studies show that age-related memory loss can be slowed when older people promptly address hearing and vision loss.

Want To Keep Your Brain Sharp? Take Care Of Your Eyes And Ears

11:37am October 22, 2018

by Allison Aubrey

Two large studies show that age-related memory loss can be slowed significantly when older people promptly address hearing and vision loss.

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Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was asked about his drinking during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27.

Health & Safety

You Don't Have To Pass Out To Be Blackout Drunk

1:13pm October 04, 2018

by Richard Knox

Heavy drinking can lead to alcohol-induced amnesia. It can be total or it can be spotty. Either way, it can be difficult for a bystander, or even the inebriated person, to know when it has happened.