Memory lets us remember what we have read, even this sentence for example. It also helps us with the act of reading, and all of the places the mind seems to wander when reading.
The phrase long term potentiation (LTP) may not have an obvious connection to modern poetry, but in reality they are close friends. Modernism explores free verse and exacting diction; every term has significance. When reading words, various associations proliferate in the mind. “Dark” retrieves words such as “evil,” and “death.” What causes this innate connection? One of the many things LTP does is to control word association memory. When one hears two words together, the brain undergoes LTP, a molecular process that essentially strengthens the connections (synapses) that relate the two terms. Retrieval of this association is instigated by interacting with just one of the terms. Association is an integral part of experiencing modern poetry. When authors give readers a concise and compact poem, readers rely on word associations for a rich and interpretive reading. So authors, be careful. Diction is not just one dimensional: a single word has the power of 60 trillion synapses.
