Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jan 26, 2026 1 hour, 49 minutes ago
Medical News: Many people have experienced that frustrating moment when a familiar word feels just out of reach. You know the meaning, you can almost hear the sound of it, but the word simply will not come out. Scientists call this the “tip of the tongue” experience, and new research is shedding light on why it happens and what it reveals about how the human brain works.
New research explains why familiar words can momentarily disappear despite strong memory.
This
Medical News report highlights findings from researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, who have carefully reviewed decades of cognitive science, brain imaging, and neurochemical research to explain why these everyday memory slips occur.
Understanding the Tip of the Tongue Experience
The tip of the tongue phenomenon happens when a person cannot immediately recall a word they clearly know. Importantly, this is not true forgetting. People often remember details such as the first letter, the number of syllables, or the meaning of the word. This shows that memory is still there, but access to the word’s sound is temporarily blocked.
How the Brain Normally Finds Words
Finding a word is a step-by-step process. First, the brain activates the meaning of what you want to say. Next, it selects the correct word. Finally, it retrieves the sounds needed to speak it. The review explains that tip of the tongue moments usually occur at the final stage, when the brain struggles to connect meaning to sound.
Brain Regions Involved in Word Retrieval
Brain imaging studies show that several areas work together during word recall. These include the left inferior frontal gyrus, which helps select the right word, the anterior cingulate cortex, which detects conflict and errors, and parts of the temporal lobe, which store word meanings. During tip of the tongue moments, these areas become unusually active, suggesting the brain is working harder to solve the problem.
The Role of Brain Chemicals
A key focus of the review is the balance between two important brain chemicals. Glutamate excites brain cells and helps activate words, while GABA calms activity and suppresses competing words. When this balance is slightly disturbed, signals may not flow smoothly. As a result, the correct word cannot break through, even though related words may interfere.
Why Aging Makes It More Common
The study explains that tip of the tongue moments become more frequent with age. This does not mean intelligence is declining. Instead, aging is linked to subtle changes in brain connections and chemical balance, especially reduced efficiency in sound retrieval and inhibition of competing words. These changes make word access slower and more fragile.
Clinical and Everyday Importance
Researchers suggest that frequent word finding pro
blems could act as an early sign of reduced brain efficiency. While not a disease marker on their own, they may help scientists understand early brain changes long before serious memory disorders appear.
Conclusions
The review concludes that tip of the tongue moments are not random annoyances but meaningful signals of how the brain manages language. They reflect temporary disruptions in communication between brain regions and chemicals that normally work in harmony. Understanding these processes may one day help improve cognitive health, support healthy aging, and guide new treatments aimed at maintaining smooth and efficient communication in the brain.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Biomedicines.
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/14/2/269
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/anti-aging
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