memory trace

American  

noun

Psychology.

1. engram.

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memory trace British  

noun

1. psychol the hypothetical structural alteration in brain cells following learning See also engram

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Etymology

Origin of memory trace

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

memory trace

"Our findings show that tau helps determine which cells are selected to store a memory, shaping how an experience forms a lasting memory trace," says Ms Kosonen, a researcher at Flinders' Neuroscience and Dementia Research.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

"Your brain stores a memory trace for different configurations of the cube, and it can run through different configurations to predict which will have the best outcome."

From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2024

Once this fact is appreciated, then proper testing protocols can be put in place to minimize the likelihood that the original memory trace is contaminated.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 13, 2017

The movement and tactile response involved in handwriting leaves a memory trace in the sensorimotor part of the brain, which are retrieved when reading the letters involved.

From Economist ● Sep. 8, 2016

To conceive of memory materially at all one must admit some sort of memory trace as the basis for the persistence of memory.

From The Glands Regulating Personality by Berman, Louis, M.D.