Our brain is not the only place in our body where memories are formed. New York University (NYU) researchers have discovered that learning through repetition may be fundamental to all of our cells. This process may help explain why taking breaks is such a powerful learning tool.
“Learning and memory are typically associated only with the brain and its cells, but our research shows that other cells in the body can also learn and form memories.” says Neuroscientist Nikolai Kukushkin.
A better understanding of how this process works could lead to more effective treatments for learning and memory problems, explains Kukushkin.
Many people learn that the hard way. cram for an exam It does not create the most reliable or long-term memories. Multiple cycles of chemical activity through repetitive actions trigger the memory formation process between our neurons, encoding increasingly stronger memories. This phenomenon mass spacing effect It is highly conserved in all animals at both the cellular and behavioral levels.
By exposing non-brain nerve and kidney cells to similar chemical patterns in the laboratory, Kukushkin and colleagues showed for the first time that these tissues also experience mass spacing effects. Genes involved in memory formation in neurons also appear to be active within these cells, as measured by a by-product of gene expression called luciferase.
“The ability to learn through spaced repetition is not unique to brain cells, but may in fact be a fundamental property of all cells.” explain Kukushkin.
How nerves and kidney cells responded depended on the number of rounds of protein kinase A and C.PKA and PKC) received treatment. These chemical ‘training pulses’ are known to be the building blocks of memory, forming signaling cascades.
“A three-minute pulse activated ‘memory genes’ but only for an hour or two, whereas after four pulses the genes were activated more strongly and lasted for several days.” write For Psychology Today.
Cellular response also depends on the time between pulses. These factors depended on how strongly the memory-forming molecules were activated and for how long, i.e. what exactly happened to our neurons.
“Memory exists throughout our bodies, not just in the brain, and this ‘body memory’ can influence health and disease.” write Kukushkin.
There is still a lot to learn about how this all works inside the human body. Previously, researchers had found increased interactions between PKA and the enzyme. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase From the sea hare (Aplysia) – animals commonly used to study neuronal behavior – can not only improve learning but also repair learning deficits.
Kukushkin “We must treat our body like our brain” recommend. “For example, consider what your pancreas remembers about your past eating patterns to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, or how cancer cells remember your chemotherapy patterns.”
This study Nature Communications.
