Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery: Memory storage isn’t limited to the brain. A study published in Nature Communications reveals that memory extends to other cells throughout the body as well. The research team, led by New York University’s Nikolay V. Kukushkin, demonstrated this by exposing non-brain cells from nerve and kidney tissue to chemical signals in patterns similar to how brain cells process information during learning.
The non-brain cells exhibited the same “memory gene” activation as brain cells do during memory formation, notably showing stronger responses when the signals were spaced out rather than delivered all at once. This mirrored the well-known “massed-spaced effect” in learning. This discovery not only provides new avenues for understanding memory formation but also has significant implications for enhancing learning and treating memory-related conditions.
Furthermore, it suggests a need to consider the memory capabilities of various body cells in medical treatments. Overall, this research fundamentally challenges our traditional brain-centric view of memory and learning by suggesting that the ability to learn from spaced repetition might be a basic cellular property throughout the body.
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