Long-term memory
WP:LEAD attempted to craft a lead that better summarizes the body
| ← Previous revision | Revision as of 12:17, 22 April 2026 | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|Process of storage and retrieval memory}} |
{{Short description|Process of storage and retrieval memory}} |
||
{{Lead too short|date=July 2019}} |
|||
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} |
||
'''Long-term memory''' ('''LTM''') is the stage of the [[Atkinson–Shiffrin memory model]] in which |
'''Long-term memory''' ('''LTM''') is the stage of the [[Atkinson–Shiffrin memory model]] in which information is stored for extended periods, potentially for a lifetime. It is commonly contrasted with [[sensory memory]], which briefly retains incoming stimuli, and [[short-term memory]] or [[working memory]], which hold information over much shorter intervals. In classical models, LTM is treated as a high-capacity store responsible for the enduring retention of knowledge, skills, and personal experience. |
||
Long-term memory is usually divided into [[explicit memory]] (or declarative memory) and [[implicit memory]] (or non-declarative memory). Explicit memory includes [[episodic memory]], which concerns events and experiences, and [[semantic memory]], which concerns facts and general knowledge; implicit memory includes [[procedural memory]], conditioning, and other forms of learning that influence behaviour without requiring conscious recollection. [[Autobiographical memory]] and emotional memory also draw on long-term storage systems. |
|||
The processes by which information enters and remains in long-term memory remain the subject of substantial debate. Research has examined how memories are encoded, consolidated, rehearsed, retrieved, and reorganised over time, and has produced competing models over whether short- and long-term memory are distinct stores or parts of a more continuous system. Studies of sleep, [[anterograde amnesia]], distraction tasks, and neurological disease have all contributed to these debates. |
|||
At the biological level, long-term memory depends on lasting changes in the brain, including synaptic strengthening and protein synthesis, and it involves multiple brain regions rather than a single storage site. Different forms of long-term memory are associated with different neural systems, including the [[hippocampus]], [[medial temporal lobe]], [[basal ganglia]], and related cortical regions. Long-term memory can also be affected by disorders such as [[Alzheimer's disease]], [[Parkinson's disease]], [[schizophrenia]], and traumatic brain injury. |
|||
== Stores == |
== Stores == |
||
