long-term memory

noun

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

Examples of long-term memory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The team found a location in dog DNA that could explain 4% of the sociability differences between individuals — and that location corresponds to an area of the human genome responsible for long-term memory formation. — CBS News, 29 Apr. 2022 Episodic memory is a type of long-term memory that involves recalling previous experiences with their context, in terms of time, place, and emotions. — Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health.com, 15 Feb. 2022 Not to get too nerdy, but studies on learning show that parceling out learning into bite-sized chunks allows the information to encode into long-term memory. — Sabrina Shafer, Forbes, 28 Jan. 2022 Music has been shown to trigger the hippocampus, the part of your brain associated with long-term memory storage. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 12 Jan. 2022 There’s the slower build of the hormonal activation of emotion, and short- and long-term memory. — New York Times, 1 Jan. 2022 Nostalgia is a special form of long-term memory that activates reward pathways in the brain along with memory regions. — Catherine Franssen For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, 18 Nov. 2021 This helps push that knowledge into short and long-term memory. — Rachel Montañez, Forbes, 14 Nov. 2021 Neurovirology may take a place alongside sessions on long-term memory, synapses and glia at some future SFN meeting. — Gary Stix, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2021 See More

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.

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long-term memory

long-term potentiation

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Last Updated

11 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Long-term memory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long-term%20memory. Accessed 22 May. 2022.

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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 But the mystery remains: how do cells in the cortex physically lay down long-term memories?— Sandra Blakeslee, The New York Times —abbreviation LTM — compare short-term memory