Minggu, 08 April 2012

MIT Discovers the Location of Memories


Have you ever thought to erase your stressful memories out of your brain? Or maybe implanting some knowledge to your brain in an instant? In not too distant future, you will get what you want. For the First time ever, MIT researchers have shown that memories are stored in specific brain cells. By triggering a small cluster of neurons, the researchers were able to force the subject to recall a specific memory. By removing these neurons, the subject would lose that memory.

To do this, the researchers used optogenetics so that they’re sensitive to light. These modified cells are then triggered using lasers. We should note that MIT’s subjects in this case are mice, but the function is likely the same as the human brain. To perform this experiment, MIT had to breed genetically engineered mice with optogenetic neuron, and we’re a long, long way off breeding humans with optogenetic brains.

In the experiment, MIT gave mice an electric shock to create a fear memory in the hippocampus region of the brain and then activated the neurons where the memory was stored. The mice quickly entered a defensive, immobile crouch, suggesting the fear memory was being recalled.

The question now is how memories are actually encoded. Can we programmatically create new memories and learn entire subjects by inserting a laser into our brain? We know that a cluster of neurons firing can trigger the memory of your first kiss, but why? How can 100 or maybe more neurons, firing in a specific order, conjure up a beautifully detailed image of an elephant? Hopefully MIT isn’t too far away from finding out.

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