Is it theoretically possible for our memory to become full?

Our readers argue that there is no limit to the memories that our brain can store, except for one, who is convinced that his memory bank is full

30 November 2022

KE1WMA Young business man thinking hard how to manage difficult new project isolated on gray wall background. Life work balance concept. — Ivan Chiosea/Alamy

Is it theoretically possible for our memory to become full to the point where it can no longer record information?

Geoffrey Clark
Douglas, Isle of Man, UK

I can say that at 71 years of age my memory is indeed full of all sorts of stuff, but I can’t remember what I had for breakfast! I think my brain is indeed full.

David Nye
Eau Claire, Wisconsin, US

No. Memory is encoded in the brain by networks of neurons, whose interconnections – called synapses – have been altered so that they are linked together in a way that represents the memory.

The…