Often we are able to memorize very precise bits of information (exact addresses,

Question

Often we are able to memorize very precise bits of information (exact addresses, birthdays of inlaws, number of dirty socks under the bed), but over time our recollection tends to become fuzzy. We no longer recall the day and month a certain president was killed, only the year, or maybe the decade (despite being straight A students in junior high). Like the smoothing out of a delta function under the heat equation, instead of a pin-sharp value we're left with a range of values where the correct one is likely situated. However, most of the time we are perfectly satisfied with such approximate information and can work with them just fine (except in some extreme cases of function impairment, such as Alzheimer's or the aftermath of binge drinking).

Discrete data must be stored in low entropy structures in the brain that over time spontaneously shift to a higher entropy state. Meanwhile, our biology tries incessantly to slow down the decay by expending energy (with the frequently utilized neural pathways being better maintained than the abandoned ones). Even processes analogous to error correction take place, e.g. when we arrive at a certain lost piece of information by lateral thinking and piecing together available data.

My question is whether the fading of memory exactitude can be explained in terms of the thermalization of the digital-like structures where discrete information is stored, and if anyone can point me to studies in this direction.

Explanation / Answer

My understanding is that there are two major reasons for not being able to recall where your socks are or when your anniversary is:

Neither of these scenarios involves actual loss of long term memory, which is more commonly a result of concussions, or other sorts of serious brain damage.

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