dispersed memory

memories may not be as permanent or centralized as once thought, say neuroscientists routtenberg and rekart. they propose that a memory appears permanent not because it is anchored in one area, but because its malleable, transient imprint is housed in multitudinous circuits across the brain.

this my help explain inconsistent memory loss in alzheimer's disease. as neural circuits are destroyed by plaque it may become more difficult, yet still possible, to retrieve memories. could this model also explain how difficult it is to change someone's mind? it seems logical that the more places a piece of data is stored, the harder it would be to uproot.

routtenberg and rekart challenge the commonly accepted theory of memory formation, arguing that instead of synthesizing new proteins to store memories the brain simply modifies existing ones. the theory following from this is elegant:

To maintain some residue of this modification, Routtenberg proposes that the "spontaneous activity" of the brain actually acts to "cryptically rehearse" past events. So, long-term memory storage relies on a positive-feedback rehearsal system that continually updates or fine-tunes post-translational modification of previously modified synaptic proteins. It is in this manner that this model allows for the continual modifications of memories.

basically, memories are continually modified. scary, no?

side note: routtenberg seems the model of the humble approach to science i opined about yesterday:

We would assert that there is enough substance both in the concerns raised and in [this model] to energize the search for yet more plausible models of long-term memory storage, and to redirect and reinvigorate the quest to understand the brain substrates of information storage.

Labels: neuroscience