Although the brain can store a whole lifetime of knowledge in its trillions of connections, the number of items that humans can actively hold in their conscious awareness at once is limited, on average, to four or five things. Short-term memory is limited to the duration of active attention; once focus shifts elsewhere, items are stored elsewhere or forgotten. Working memory is short-lived, and immediate intuition and linguistic processing. Cognitive capacity is limited, causing a low threshold for working memory.
Why is working memory so limited? Sensory information transforms into the language of oscillations in the limbic brain and flows to activate the sensory cortex. The sensory flow, particularly new or surprising information, reaches the associative areas, which triggers conscious decision-making. Changes in memory load break down cognitive capacity. When large chunks of novel information overburden the frontal cortex, timely processing breaks down. Excessive information load changes the normal rhythm of oscillations, causing short-term memory degradation. Patients with neurological disorders, such as schizophrenia, are even more sensitive. They experience memory disturbances even when challenged by a small number of items.
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