How Do Memories Form in the Brain? Scientists Observe the Process

How Do Memories Form in the Brain? Scientists Observe the Process
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Is consciousness just a product of different forms of matter interacting with each other? Could science possibly explain what the very notion of a ‘thought’ is and how exactly does it form within the neural network? What’s for sure is that scientists still have a lot to learn about the brain.

A team of scientists from the University of Southern California captured images of how memories come to life in laboratory fish in real-time. A new report brings new information about those findings, as Quanta Magazine reveals.

Major development was found in neural connections

Although the team expected the brain to go through a slight restructuring of its neural pathways, they were surprised to find out that major development took place for neural connections. Genetically engineered zebra fish captured the scientists’ attention.

Cliff Abraham, who’s a professor of psychology from the University of Otago in New Zealand, explained as quoted by Futurism.com:

There’s a lot of pruning and synaptic reorganization as a result of experience during development,

If the researchers look at adult zebra fish — which is harder to do because they’re less transparent and have bigger brains — they might get different results.

Do you need any more arguments that scientists still have a lot to discover about how a brain works? Check out what Scott Fraser has to say, a co-author of the new study, as quoted by Quanta Magazine:

I think everybody has thought that there’s a whole range of ways that a brain could be storing memories,

The beauty of it is, I bet all of them are right. And the question’s going to be: How does it all work together?

The initial study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

 


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Even since he was a child, Cristian was staring curiously at the stars, wondering about the Universe and our place in it. Today he's seeing his dream come true by writing about the latest news in astronomy. Cristian is also glad to be covering health and other science topics, having significant experience in writing about such fields.

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