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The brain’s ability to preserve memories lies at the heart of our basic human experience. But what is its mechanism to make sure we remember the most significant events and keep our minds free of superfluous details?

According to a new study by Columbia University researchers, the brain plays back and prioritizes high-reward events for later retrieval and filters out the neutral, inconsequential events, retaining only memories that are useful to future decisions.

It’s no secret that the teen brain is unique, and recent research from Daphna Shohamy, a neuroscientist at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute, has confirmed striking differences in the brains of adolescents as compared to adults.

These differences shed light on the biology behind their reward-seeking behavior, and reveal that it actually evolved to help teens navigate the world around them during a pivotal time in their lives.

Congratulations to Dr. Erin Kendall Braun and Dr. Raphael Gerraty for successfully defending your dissertations!