MEMORY: WE'D BE LOST WITHOUT IT

Memory. We'd be lost without it, says Dr. Scott Gibbs.

Without the brain's ability to store memories, man would have quickly become extinct, the Cape Girardeau neurosurgeon said.

Holding a preserved, human brain in his gloved hands, Gibbs talks almost reverently about it.

An adult brain weighs only three pounds, but it packs a big punch. It can do more jobs than the most powerful computer.

It controls all the other systems of the body. It is the center for a person's thoughts, feelings and memory.

In his career, Gibbs has seen the human brain thousands of times.

"I still find when it is laid bare, it induces awe," said Gibbs.

"We have literally billions of neurons in our brain," he said.

Scientists aren't certain just how the brain stores memories.

Actual memories seem to be stored in the chemicals found in nerve cells. One theory is that a change happens in the chemicals that relay nerve impulses. Another thought is that there is a change in the cells' internal chemistry.

Memory has allowed people to learn, Gibbs said. Without it, man would remember nothing from the past and would be unable to learn anything new.

"I think our brain is in constant evolution," said Gibbs.

Without memory, we would repeatedly have the same experiences for the "first time." We wouldn't have the richness that memory gives to life.

Gibbs said memory involves registration, retention and recall.

Fatigue, alcohol, drugs and distractions can affect our memory.

Sights, sounds, tastes and smells can all register memories.

Smells establish some of the most vivid memories, Gibbs said. "That is why the perfume industry is so successful."

There are three types of memory: sensory, short-term and long-term.

Sensory information holds information for only an instant. "We have almost a photographic instant memory, but then as times goes on that memory can fade," Gibbs said.

Short-term memory can recall something as long as a person actively thinks about it.

You use short-term memory when you look up a telephone number and repeat it to yourself until you dial it. That memory can fade after about 20 seconds.

Long-term memory, on the other hand, includes a huge amount of information and can last a lifetime.

Long-term memory is established through either of two factors: repetition or intense emotions.

A casual acquaintance, met on many occasions, will be remembered for a long time. The strong emotions of the first experience of falling in love or of the moments surrounding a car crash can make these long-term memories.

In general, people forget more about an event as time passes. Two days after a party, it may be difficult to name all the guests who attended.

Gibbs said man has an ability to forget too. "We sort out the stimuli in our life."

Gibbs said people would be overwhelmed if everything registered in their memories.

It's natural for people to be more forgetful as they age.

"We lose neurons, nerve cells as we age," said Gibbs.,

Memory also is affected by head injuries and diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Healthy people can improve their memories.

A recent study found that musical training may improve verbal memory.

Psychologists at Chinese University in Hong Kong found a 16 percent better word memory on average for adults who learned how to play a musical instrument as children.

The study involved 30 college students with at least six years of musical instruction before age 12 and 30 students with no such training. The former music students were found to be better at recalling words read to them from a list.

Gibbs said studies also show that people can improve their memories by learning something entirely new such as playing a guitar.

The key is to keep mentally active, Gibbs said. "Our minds need frequent stimulation."

This creates new synapses or connections between the nerves in the brain.

"The brain is a dynamic organ," said Gibbs. "It is constantly changing."

Gibbs regularly talks to school children about the importance of the brain.

"I want them to be aware of their brain. They have a mind," said Gibbs. "It is a great asset."

And one that holds a life-time of memories.