memory trace

noun

: a transient or long-term change in the brain that represents something (such as an experience) encoded as a memory : engram

Examples of memory trace in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But how did those watching the events of that day manage to imprint a memory trace of it, etching the details with neurons and synapses in the soft cement of the brain? —Dan Hurley, Discover Magazine, 6 June 2012

The physical location of a memory in the brain is often called an ‘engram’ or ‘memory trace’. —Caitlin Aamodt, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2017

But obviously, taking a memory trace apart and putting it back together again makes that memory vulnerable to losing its fidelity. —Caitlin Aamodt, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2017

Recalling a memory reactivates the neurons composing the memory trace, spurring them to form new connections. —Caitlin Aamodt, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

memory trace

noun

: a transient or long-term change in the brain that represents something (such as an experience) stored as a memory : engram

… a class of drugs that changes the rules about how a memory is encoded and how strong a memory trace is …

—New Scientist