More prosaically, what all these experiences boil down to is changes in the electrical activity of the brain. LSD and other hallucinogens produce their 'magic' effects by binding very tightly to a specific subset of serotonin receptors at brain synapses, known as 5HT-2A receptors#616•
Referring to the story, Quintilian recommends that when learning a long text you should break it up into shorter pieces. Then you should visualize a familiar place – your home, for example – and put different bits of the text in different rooms. To recall the text again, you just walk through the imaginary house, room by room, recollecting the text as you go.
The place method, and continual repetition, are still the best ways to remember something and are often used by memory savants today.#634•
The hippocampus is particularly important for spatial memory – for our ability to recall places. Taxi drivers who have to memorize the streets of London, information colloquially known as the 'Knowledge', tend to have larger hippocampi than the rest of us#640•
Reality television programmes in which individuals play different roles in Edwardian society reveal that people quickly assume servant or master roles. An interesting question is the extent to which such role-playing may have physically changed their brains.#604•