Apart from the brain, memory occurs in many cells also.
We always think that memory exists only in our brain, but a new research has revealed new things about it. A new research by Dr. Nikolai Kukushkin of New York University (NYU) has revealed that non-neural cells like kidney and nerve tissue cells also function like memory. The study found that when these cells are given different chemical signals, these cells activate a “memory gene” like neurons.
This discovery made by Kukushkin tells us that memory is not limited to the brain only, but it can occur in all cells. This study of Kukushkin has been published in Nature Communication.
Memory is strengthened by giving information at intervals.
Instead of giving any information continuously, if it is given at an interval of some time, it can be remembered better. This process is called ‘massive-spaced effect’. Earlier its effect was associated only with neurons, but now its effect can be seen in non-neural cells also. The NYU study found that cells that were given signals over a short period of time had the ability to remember for a longer period of time. On the contrary, the cells which had received the signal only once, their ability to remember was not so strong.
tested memory
NYU also tested the memory of cells other than the brain. During this test they inserted a ‘reporter’ gene into it. This reporter gene glows when the memory gene is activated. This allowed the cells’ memory responses to be tracked in real time. During this test, some cells were given signals continuously, while some cells were given signals at short intervals. This showed that the memory genes remained active for a stronger and longer period of time in cells given the signal at intervals. From this test it became clear that the timing of the signal is very important for memory.
This study tells us that memory is not limited to the brain only, but cells throughout the body have this ability, which can influence the treatment of memory related diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. Apart from this, as we have come to know that giving prompts at short intervals strengthens the memory capacity, then with this we can make the methods of education more effective.