Study Suggests Brain May Retain ‘Forgotten’ Memories

Some memories might seem lost, but they can still be found. This is true for fruit flies. Scientists have learned that even when a fruit fly cannot remember something, the memory can stay hidden in its brain.

The research team found that reminding the fruit fly about something can bring back forgotten memories. However, this can also lead to false memories. False memories are incorrect memories that feel real. Researchers from the Friedrich Miescher Institute led this study.

They trained fruit flies to avoid a certain smell by giving them a mild electric shock. After about 24 hours, the flies forgot the memory. But when they smelled it again in the same place, the flies remembered and avoided it. The smell alone was not enough; they needed other details from the experience, like the room’s feel and light.

The team discovered that as the flies forgot the memory, a hidden trace remained. When the right details matched up, the memory returned. This study shows how memories can be complex and sometimes change.

How much do you know?

What can bring back forgotten memories in fruit flies?

Eating fruit

Reminding them about something

Changing their environment

More electric shocks

Who led the study on fruit flies and memory?

Harvard University

Friedrich Miescher Institute

MIT

Stanford University

What did scientists use to train the fruit flies to avoid a certain smell?

Food

Mild electric shock

Another fruit fly

Light

What happens to the memory of fruit flies after 24 hours?

They enhance their memory

They cannot remember it

They remember more details

They forget it completely

What do true memories in fruit flies contrast with?

Normal memories

False memories

Shared memories

Collective memories

What additional factors did fruit flies need to recall memories?

Temperature and humidity

The feel of the room and light

Time of day and season

Other flies' behaviors

Fruit flies can never recover lost memories.

True False

False memories feel unreal to fruit flies.

True False

The researchers discovered that hidden traces of memories remain even when they seem forgotten.

True False

A reminder is sufficient for fruit flies to recall any memory.

True False

The smell alone was enough for the flies to recall their memory.

True False

The study demonstrates that memories can be complex and sometimes change.

True False

The research team found that reminding the fruit fly can bring back forgotten memories, but can also occur.

The fruit flies were trained to avoid a certain smell by receiving a mild electric shock for hours.

The right details must match up to retrieve the trace of the forgotten memory.

Just smelling the scent was not enough; they needed the room’s and light.

After 24 hours, the flies their memory of the smell.

The study led by the Friedrich Miescher Institute showed how memories can be and sometimes change.

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