Whether it's tying a string around our finger or posting sticky notes in a prominent place, most of us have...

Whether it's tying a string around our finger or posting sticky notes in a prominent place, most of us have developed ways to remember to remember. This type of memory, known as prospective memory, requires two very distinctive brain processes, according to new research published in the journal Psychological Science. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis asked participants to lie in an fMRI scanner and place words into one of two categories. For some words, however, the participants were asked to remember to press a third button. Depending on whether the word they were asked to remember was related to the word categorization task, the participants used two different brain processes. With a nonsensical word, the participants relied on their prefrontal cortices. With a related word, the participants used totally different brain regions. Depending on what you need to remember to remember, then, your brain can use one or more different strategies.

Source: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/remembering-to-remember-supported-by-two-distinct-brain-processes.html?utm_source=pressrelease&utm_medium=eureka&utm_campaign=prospectivememory