Scientists Discover How the Brain Uses Memories, Revealing the Neural 'Archive'

Scientists from the University of Bern have discovered that even forgotten memories influence our decisions. In the experiment, participants memorized pairs of images (face + object) and tried to reproduce them after 24 hours. Results: People confident in their answers guessed correctly in 87% of cases. Those who thought they were just guessing still chose the correct option more often than by chance. fMRI scans showed that even when "guessing," activity occurred in the hippocampus (the memory center), as with conscious recall. The brain stores more than we realize and uses "forgotten" data in the background. This confirms the theory of memory consolidation: over time, important information moves from the hippocampus to the neocortex, remaining subconsciously accessible. Our decisions can depend on experiences we don't even remember.