A new Boston University study has a potential answer, suggesting that memories of mundane moments are given extra sticking power if they become connected to a significant event -- something surprising, rewarding, or carrying an emotional punch. Watch your Powerball numbers cash in, for example, and you're likely to remember what you were doing in the moments before, however unremarkable and unmemorable they might have otherwise been. The findings, published in Science Advances, could potentially lead to improved treatments for people with memory problems or even help students retain tricky concepts.

"Memory isn't just a passive recording device: Our brains decide what matters, and emotional events can reach back in time to stabilize fragile memories," says Robert M.G. Reinhart, a BU College of Arts & Sciences associate professor of psychological and brain sciences. "Developing strategies to strengthen useful memories, or weaken harmful ones, is a longstanding goal in cognitive neuroscience. Our study suggests that emotional salience could be harnessed in precise ways to achieve those goals."

In their paper, he and his colleagues give the example of someone hiking through Yellowstone National Park and stumbling across a herd of majestic bison. The wow of that moment, they discovered, would not just cement the one magical experience in the mind, but lots of little, more run-of-the-mill events leading up to and away from it -- a rock spotted on the path, a small animal darting into the undergrowth.

"The question is, What are the mechanisms for that?" says Reinhart, who's also a College of Engineering associate professor of biomedical engineering and a faculty member at the BU Center for Systems Neuroscience. "That's what we tried to uncover, how the brain selectively strengthens those fragile memories."

How the Brain Selects Which Memories to Preserve

While most of us know that special moments get a revered spot in our memory banks, researchers have been divided on concepts known as retroactive and proactive memory enhancement -- the prioritization of memories immediately before or after a big, or salient, event. Previous studies have disagreed on whether or not weaker memories are stabilized, or made easier to recall, by attachment to a more prominent one.

Reinhart says the latest project, which included close to 650 participants, ten individual studies, and the use of artificial intelligence to analyze a broader set of data, is the first to definitively show that memory enhancement does happen. One major difference with past studies: they found the brain uses a sliding scale to decide which memories to preserve. Many of the team's experiments involved showing participants dozens of images -- connected to different levels of rewards -- then giving them a surprise memory test the next day.

With things that occurred after an event, proactive memories, the strength of recall seemed to depend on the emotional impact of the big moment itself -- the more enduring the salient event, the more likely everything after it was to be remembered. That didn't apply when reaching back to the things that happened in the runup, the retroactive memories. They were more likely to be cemented if they had similarities -- perhaps a visual cue, like a matching color -- that connected them to the pivotal event. According to Reinhart, it's the first validation in humans of "graded prioritization, a new principle of how the brain consolidates everyday experiences."

"For the first time, we show clear evidence that the brain rescues weak memories in a graded fashion, guided by their high-level similarity to emotional events," says Chenyang (Leo) Lin (GRS'30), the paper's first author and a doctoral student in the Reinhart Lab. "It's not just timing that matters, but also conceptual overlap."

The researchers also found that if any secondary memories carried emotional weight themselves, the memory enhancement effect was diminished. "The brain seems to prioritize fragile memories that would otherwise slip away," says Reinhart, who has published a series of highly cited papers on how memory functions. Much of his research has also included brain stimulation -- using noninvasive techniques to improve working and long-term memory in older adults or to curb obsessive-compulsive behavior.

Rescuing Memories; Improving Test Scores

Although the latest study was focused on uncovering a basic mechanism guiding how memories are encoded, Reinhart says the work could lay the foundation for future clinical and other real-world studies and interventions.

"The discovery has broad implications for both theory and practice," says Reinhart. "In education, pairing emotionally engaging material with fragile concepts could improve retention. In a clinical setting, we could potentially rescue memories that are weak, way back in the recesses of our mind because of normal aging, for example. You can flip it, too, for people with trauma-related disorders -- maybe you don't want to rescue a distressing memory."

Reinhart's research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation, the AE Research Foundation, and philanthropy.

These products reduce nutritional value, extend shelf life, and tend to increase how much people consume. In the U.S., UPFs account for about 60% of daily calorie intake. High consumption of these foods has been linked to greater risks of obesity, cancer, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, mental health issues, and even premature death.

New research from Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine shows that people who consume the most UPFs have significantly higher levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a sensitive marker of inflammation and a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease.

Until now, there have been limited data from nationally representative U.S. populations on the link between UPF intake and hs-CRP levels.

Results of the study, published in The American Journal of Medicine, show that participants consumed a median of 35% of their daily calories from UPFs, ranging from just 0% to 19% in the lowest group to 60% to 79% in the highest. After accounting for factors like age, gender, smoking, physical activity and other health indicators, researchers found that individuals in the highest UPF intake group (60% to 79% of daily calories) had an 11% higher likelihood of elevated hs-CRP levels compared to those in the lowest intake group. Even moderate UPF consumers (40% to 59%) showed a 14% increase in likelihood. Those with 20% to 39% intake had a smaller, nonsignificant 7% increase.

The likelihood was especially high in certain groups. Adults aged 50 to 59 had a 26% higher risk of elevated inflammatory markers compared to those aged 18 to 29. Obesity contributed to an 80% higher risk compared to people with a healthy weight. Current smokers also had a higher risk (17%) than people who never smoked. Interestingly, individuals who reported no physical activity did not have a statistically significant increase in risk compared to those who met activity guidelines.

"These findings, based on a large and nationally representative sample of U.S. adults, clearly show that people who consume the highest amounts of ultra-processed foods have significantly higher levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, a key marker of inflammation," said Allison H. Ferris, M.D., FACP, senior author, professor and chair of the FAU Department of Medicine. "These results carry important implications not only for clinical practice and public health strategies but also for future research aimed at understanding and reducing the health risks associated with ultra-processed food consumption."

Researchers analyzed data from 9,254 U.S. adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, including diet, hs-CRP and other health factors. UPF intake was measured as a percentage of total calories and grouped into four levels. They used statistical methods, including logistic regression, to examine the link between UPF consumption and inflammation.

"C-reactive protein is produced by the liver, and the hs-CRP protein test is a simple, affordable and highly sensitive measure of inflammation as well as a reliable predictor of future cardiovascular disease," said Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., FACPM, FACC, co-author, the First Sir Richard Doll Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine, and senior academic advisor, Schmidt College of Medicine. "We believe that health care professionals may wish to consider actively engaging with their patients about the risks of UPFs and benefits of increasing whole food consumption."

The authors also highlight a significant rise in colorectal cancer rates in the U.S., particularly among younger adults. They suggest that increased consumption of UPFs may be a contributing factor, along with its potential role in several other gastrointestinal diseases.

Drawing a parallel to the history of tobacco, the authors note that it took decades for mounting evidence and the efforts of progressive health officials to lead to policies discouraging cigarette use. They believe a similar trajectory is likely for UPFs, with growing awareness eventually driving meaningful public health action.

"The multinational companies that produce ultra-processed foods are very influential, much like tobacco companies were in the past, so policy changes to promote whole foods and reduce UPF consumption may take time," said Hennekens. "However, government efforts to reduce harmful additives, improve food labeling, and promote healthier options in programs and schools are important steps in the right direction. At the same time, health care providers should be aware of the challenges many people face in accessing affordable, healthier choices, which calls for a broader and coordinated public health response."

Study co-authors are Kevin Sajan, a medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine; Nishi Anthireddy, a medical student at FAU; Alexandra Matarazzo, a medical student at FAU; and Caio Furtado, M.D., a resident physician in FAU's internal medicine residency program.