Memory and learning are based on different neural connections

Memories and learning shape our brains. As we remember, our experiences reach our brain where the networks of nerve cells encode them in a memory. This generation of memories is formed through stable connections of neurons, the opposite of our learning which requires flexible connections. This discovery was made by German researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich. The results of their work were published on November 3 in the journal PLOS biology.

Everything is played out in the hippocampus

To understand why only certain neurons are involved in the formation of our memory, the researchers focused their observations on the hippocampus. This brain region plays a crucial role in memory and learning. Using deep two-photon brain microscopy, they were able to analyze the function of deep brain regions. For 7 days, they observed neuronal connectivity in the brain cells of mice in several experiments. “For the first time, we were able to observe neurons encoding this new experience and study their connectivity not only later but earlier as well.”, Continues Alessio Attardo, who led the research group.

The researchers found that neurons involved in memory have more stable connections than others. So they gave the mice a learning task. Those whose hippocampal neurons were connected more stably did not learn the task, as did mice who had more flexible neural connections. From there, the team concluded that while the stable connectivity of a subset of neurons causes these neurons to form new memories, the flexible connectivity allows for better learning.

Better focused learning and memory deficits

This study allows us to better understand how our brain works based on the tasks we ask it to perform. The cellular mechanisms that neural networks in the brain use to encode experiences and generate memories are quite distinct. “Understanding these mechanisms could help us develop better strategies for dealing with learning and memory deficits associated with a range of psychiatric disorders.“, Concluded Alessio Attardo.