🧠 Memory: A Fundamental Pillar of Learning and Identity

Our ability to recall past events, including our deepest childhood memories, is thanks to our memory system . From a neurobiological perspective, this process involves key structures such as the temporal lobe, the hippocampus, the fornix fibers, and the mammillary bodies .

Memory is biologically defined as the ability to acquire, retain, store, and recall information in order to adapt our behavior (Bernabéu, 2017). It is a vital cognitive function, present in almost all the activities we perform, decisively influencing academic, social, professional, and cultural aspects (Reynolds & Bigler, 2012).

😮 Beyond the Past: Identity and Future

Memory not only allows us to look back; it is the foundation of our personal identity . Furthermore, it plays a crucial role in the ability to learn new information and in prospective memory : the ability to store and execute plans and intentions for the future (Tirapu-Ustárroz & Muñoz-Céspedes, 2005). Without it, goal planning would be impossible.

🤝 Relationship between Memory and Executive Functions: The Contribution of BANFE-3

Memory is a complex system that does not work in isolation; it is closely linked to attention and executive functions . While attention filters relevant information, executive functioning allows us to control and manipulate that information to achieve goals (Lezak, 1994).

To assess this critical interaction, at Neuropsyedu we use specialized tools such as the BANFE-3 (Neuropsychological Battery of Executive Functions and Frontal Lobes). This test allows us to analyze Working Memory , which is the "bridge" between pure memory and executive processing, through specific subtests:

1. 🔡 Verbal Working Memory (Alphabetical Ordering)

This task requires the patient to memorize a list of jumbled words and recall them in alphabetical order.

  • Neuropsychological Implication: It not only assesses storage capacity (memory), but also the ability to mentally manipulate information (executive function), requiring constant updating of data in the mind.

2. 👁️ Visual Sequential Memory

It assesses the ability to retain and reproduce sequences of visual stimuli.

  • Neuropsychological Implication: It is fundamental for pattern learning and reading, linking visual perception with short-term storage.

3. 👉 Self-Directed Signage

The patient must point to figures on a sheet without repeating any.

  • Neuropsychological Implication: It measures visuospatial working memory . The brain must remember "what I already touched" and constantly update that information to inhibit repeated responses (inhibitory control + memory).

4. ➕➖ Mental Arithmetic (Consecutive Subtraction and Addition)

It requires performing sequential mathematical operations mentally.

  • Neuropsychological Implication: It requires a high level of attentional control and working memory to sustain the previous result while applying the new operation, simulating complex cognitive demands of the classroom.

🧐 Monitoring Memory Performance in Schoolchildren

Based on our clinical experience, there are key indicators that parents and teachers should observe in children and adolescents:

  • ✅ Attention Levels: How is your attention during academic activities? Often, lapses in attention prevent the correct encoding of information. If information is received incorrectly, it will be remembered inaccurately.

  • ✅ Encoding Opportunity: Is the student given the necessary time to process information at their own pace? Memory consolidation requires practice, consistency, and repetition to achieve automatization.

  • ✅ Memorization Strategies: What techniques does the student use? Are they effective? A fundamental part of the intervention is to teach mnemonic strategies adapted to the task.

  • ✅ Recall vs. Storage: If a student doesn't remember something, but does so immediately upon receiving a visual or auditory cue, the problem is not storage, but access (recall) . This requires specific retrieval strategies.

⚠️ At-Risk Populations: While everyone benefits from an evaluation, it is a priority in cases of history of encephalitis, prematurity, head trauma, neonatal hypoxia, epilepsy, ADHD or learning difficulties.

🏆 Cutting-Edge Tools: The TOMAL

At Neuropsyedu , committed to excellence, we have the TOMAL (Memory and Learning Test) , an internationally renowned battery designed for people aged 5 to 19.

Advantages of TOMAL: It allows us to obtain a detailed, non-unitary profile of the memory, evaluating:

  • Verbal and Non-Verbal Memory.

  • Delayed (long-term) recall.

  • Sequential, Free and Associative Recall.

  • Learning and Attention/Concentration Indices.

This allows us to identify whether the student's strengths or weaknesses are verbal, visual, or mixed, a fundamental step in designing a personalized intervention program.

🔎⚡️ Does your child have difficulty remembering what they've learned?

Memory is a key predictor of academic performance. At Neuropsyedu, we are your partners in Panama for high-level educational neuropsychological assessments.

📞 Contact: +507 6535 6362 📧 Email: administracion@neuropsyedu.com 🌐 Visit our profiles:

📚 Bibliographic References

  • Bernabéu, E. (2017). Attention and memory as keys to the learning process.

  • Korzeniowski, C. (2011). Evolutionary development of executive functioning and its relationship with school learning.

  • Lezak, M. D. (1994). Domains of behavior from a neuropsychological perspective.

  • Martín-Lobo, P., & Vergara, E. (2017). Neuropsychology applied to education.

  • Reynolds, C.R., & Bigler, E.D. (2012). Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL-2).

  • Tirapu-Ustárroz, J., & Muñoz-Céspedes, JM (2005). Memory and executive functions.