Imagine that our brain is not an archive where every moment of life is frozen in stone, but rather a canvas where colors are constantly mixing and changing.

Dynamic Mindscapes: The Ever-Changing Nature of Memory

Imagine that our brain is not an archive where every moment of life is frozen in stone, but rather a canvas where colors are constantly mixing and changing. The physiological essence of memory demonstrates that neurons do not store every experience in an immutable form: their molecular composition is continuously renewed, making it impossible to capture every nuance of our experience. Instead, the brain selects key moments by creating complex associations among numerous cells and connections. This endless process of reorganization allows us to respond meaningfully to new information, yet it does not preserve everything without exception. Thus, although memory is a powerful tool in shaping our personal experience, its dynamic and selective nature reminds us that our perception of the world is always a living, evolving process, where the significant emotions and experiences of each moment truly matter.

What are the physiological limitations of human memory, and is it possible to preserve memories of every day lived?

The physiological limitations of memory are related to the fact that the brain does not record every experience in an unchanging form. On a cellular level, memory does not exist as a set of permanent, static “imprints,” because neurons are constantly undergoing metabolic turnover and their molecular composition can change. As noted in one of the sources:

"Nevertheless, explaining memory in its most complex forms with the theory of molecular traces in brain cells and associative fibers does not satisfy us at all. Although nerve cells do not multiply and are not replaced by new ones like the cells of all other organs and tissues – they only die – there is a continuous exchange, and it is very likely that the molecules are replaced. How then can we imagine the possibility of fixing and preserving forever the traces of all mental acts within them? And do we have the right to claim that these traces are preserved forever when we know how fragile memory is, and how much of it vanishes irretrievably? Even more important is another aspect of the matter. It is impossible to understand the anatomical substrate of memory as traces or imprints in a single cell alone, because memory must record the traces of mental acts, which are always complex and involve the participation of many cells and associative fibers. In the brain, it is not individual changes in single cells that should be preserved, but entire dynamic associations, as T. Ribo states." (source: link txt)

This citation emphasizes that even the basic physiological structure of memory involves continuous changes and reconfigurations, which makes it impossible to capture every single experienced moment exactly as it occurred. Moreover, human memory is naturally selective: the brain "chooses" the information, recording key or significant moments rather than every minute detail of each day.

Thus, from a physiological perspective, preserving memories of every day lived is highly unlikely; the nature of neural connections and the continually changing chemical milieu of the brain do not allow every detail of experience to be fixed permanently.