long-term memory

noun

|Updated on: 22 Jun 2018

Definition of long-term memory

: memory that involves the storage and recall of information over a long period of time (such as days, weeks, or years)

In animal experiments and autopsies of human brains, researchers have found that the hippocampal formation—an inner-brain region consisting of the hippocampus and several other related structures—is critical for the formation of long-term memory.
—Science News

—abbreviation LTM — compare short-term memory, working memory

Recent Examples of long-term memory from the Web

They have been shown to be involved in long-term memory in snails, mice and rats, through their ability to influence chemical tags on DNA.

— veronique greenwood, New York Times, "Scientists Made Snails Remember Something That Never Happened to Them," 15 May 2018
Under this procedure, a patient's brain is cooled to as low as 50 degrees Fahrenheit, which causes electrical activity in neurons to stop—suggesting that long-term memories are stored statically.

— michael shermer, Scientific American, "Why the “You” in an Afterlife Wouldn't Really Be You," 1 July 2017
Farrell’s short-term memory was sharper than Maddon’s long-term memory.

— mark gonzales, chicagotribune.com, "Luke Farrell earns redemption in Cubs' 14-inning win against Mets," 3 June 2018
Emotionally charged experiences, particularly those linked to fear, activate parts of the brain responsible for long-term memory.

— alison murphy, WSJ, "Summer Reads for Perfectionists," 31 May 2018
David Glanzman, a professor of neurobiology at U.C.L.A. who is an author of the new paper, has been studying Aplysia californica, a sea snail, and its ability to make long-term memories for years.

— veronique greenwood, New York Times, "Scientists Made Snails Remember Something That Never Happened to Them," 15 May 2018
Glanzman’s lab and others have also shown that long-term memory formation can be blocked by preventing epigenetic changes, even when synapse formation or strengthening is not altered.

— usha lee mcfarling, STAT, "Memory transferred between snails, challenging standard theory of how the brain remembers," 14 May 2018
Some hosts are apparently developing some kind of long-term memory: Maeve remembers her daughter, and Lawrence somehow recalls a previous loop in which the Man in Black alluded to his own daughter.

— scott meslow, GQ, "Westworld Season 2 Episode 4 Recap: My Immortal," 14 May 2018
Alzheimer’s and dementia often impair short-term memory but leave long-term memory intact.

— san diego elder law center, sandiegouniontribune.com, "CHECKLIST: When it's time for memory care," 24 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'long-term memory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of long-term memory

1940

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Medical Dictionary

long-term memory

noun

medical Definition of long-term memory

: memory that involves the storage and recall of information over a long period of time (as days, weeks, or years)

A short-term memory's conversion to a long-term memory requires changes within the brain that protect the memory from interference from competing stimuli or disruption from injury or disease.
—Alison Preston, Scientific American, December 2007

But the mystery remains: how do cells in the cortex physically lay down long-term memories?
—Sandra Blakeslee, The New York Times, 14 Nov. 2000

—abbreviation LTM — compare short-term memory