For the first time ever, researchers from Ohio State University have discovered where the human brain stores the time and place of memories.

Share on Pinterest Researchers found the left anterior hippocampus gives a ‘broad picture’ of the time and place of memories.

Senior author Per Sederberg, assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State, and colleagues found a part of the brain’s hippocampus is responsible for holding information on the “when and where” of memories.

“What we’re picking up here is not the whole memory, but the basic gist – the where and when of the experience,” explains Sederberg. “This could be viewed as the memory hub, where we have these general, large-scale representations of our experiences.”

The researchers publish their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers have uncovered more about the workings of the brain in recent years. Last year, for example, Medical News Today reported that researchers were awarded a Nobel prize for discovering “place cells” and “grid cells” in the brains of rats – that is, cells that act as an “inner GPS.”

Word recall tests in human studies have also revealed more information about how the brain stores memories.

However, such studies have some shortcomings, according to Sederberg and colleagues. When it comes to research investigating the inner GPS of rats, the team points out that the environment in which rats reside is small and can be measured in a matter of feet, while word recall tests in humans involve experimental conditions that record only a few minutes of memories.

The Ohio State team says their study addresses these issues; not only did it involve the analysis of real-life memories in humans, but such memories were recorded over longer time periods and distances.

To reach their findings, the researchers enrolled nine women aged 19-26 and supplied them with a smartphone, which they were required to wear on a strap around their neck for 1 month.

Each smartphone included a custom lifeblogging app that took pictures randomly throughout the day. The app recorded an array of information, including each picture’s date, location and whether the wearer was moving at the time it was taken.

At the end of the 1-month study period, participants had their brains scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as they were each shown 120 pictures captured by their smartphone. Participants viewed each photo for 8 seconds, during which time they were asked to recall the event shown and try to relive the experience.