Mechanism of short term memory loss revealed

When the brain forms new short-term memories, it creates new neurons in a region of the hippocampus called the dendate gyrus. This process also clears outdated memories, making room for more new ones, say Joe Tsien of Princeton University, and his colleagues.

Patients with Alzheimer’s disease lose cells in the hippocampus, and one suggested treatment is to transplant stem cells into the region to replace the dead cells. But the new work suggests that the addition of new cells might in fact disrupt memory retention by dramatically altering connections between neurons in the hippocampus and boosting memory clearance, the researchers say.

New Scientist

This is probably something with which we should not be meddling, at least with our current state of ignorance about the ‘black box’ between our ears.